


I Wish

by spookycat



Category: Into the Woods - Sondheim/Lapine, Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Fusion, Based on a Musical, F/F, Fluff and Humor, but you don't need to be familiar with it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-03
Updated: 2018-09-03
Packaged: 2019-06-27 11:59:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 23,852
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15684996
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/spookycat/pseuds/spookycat
Summary: Emma's wish to not be the savior drops her in the middle of someone else's fairytale, featuring some unpleasantly familiar faces and forcing her to confront some feelings she's been avoiding. When Regina arrives elsewhere in the same realm, she assumes the role of a witch who has placed a curse on two hapless bakers who happen to resemble the Charmings. Racing against a three-day deadline, Regina has to help them break the curse, juggling a handful of other fairytale characters in the process, all while trying to find Emma and bring her back to Storybrooke.Or that time Emma and Regina went "Into the Woods." (No prior knowledge of the musical required!)Divergent from 6x10.





	1. Prologue (and Then Some)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [powerfulmagics](https://archiveofourown.org/users/powerfulmagics/gifts).
  * Inspired by [I Wish [Fanart]](https://archiveofourown.org/works/15684357) by [powerfulmagics](https://archiveofourown.org/users/powerfulmagics/pseuds/powerfulmagics). 



> Just know that I worship at the altar of Stephen Sondheim, and the following hack job was lovingly created from a place of utter respect.
> 
> I can't thank the mods enough for putting this together and being so generous with your time. Y'all are fun folks, spreadsheet masters, and legit superheroes, and I'm so glad to have gotten to know you!
> 
> This fic would be a bit of a mess without my beta, Hermione, who steered me clear of a couple of potential disasters and helped a lot, no matter what she says. And Sam was an unstoppable cheerleader and offered invaluable advice and motivation, especially in moments of panic (and y'all, I have so many). You nerds are the best, thank you! <3
> 
> And of course huge, HUGE thanks to my partner in crime, Randi! From the second we were matched, I knew I'd be blown away by whatever she cooked up, and she's surpassed my wildest dreams! She was so supportive, and it means the world to me that she cares as deeply about this musical and this story as I do. Please go over and check out every detail she put into her gorgeous piece!
> 
> As always, this is for my wife, who's a fantastic cheerleader, my first and last reader, and in general my favorite person.

Emma flinched away from the shrill cackling that echoed around her. Disoriented, and with knees aching from the hard stone floor, she glanced around, trying to figure out where she’d been banished to by the Evil Queen’s wish — _her_ wish. The screeching voices were not helping.

 

“You wish to go to the festival?!” shrieked one, and when Emma finally looked up, she almost fell over in surprise. Towering above her were Ursula and Cruella, flouncing about in billowy, pastel dresses that could only have been designed by someone who secretly hated them.

 

“Festival?” Emma questioned as she got to her feet. What did a festival have to do with her wish to not be the savior?

 

“Yes, dear, the king’s festival that you just practically _begged_ us to take you to,” a third voice taunted, dripping with unabashed disdain. Emma turned and saw Maleficent sauntering over, sans horns or Rosalind Russell hat. “Tell me, do you enjoy being made the fool?” she continued with a sneer. Cruella threw her head back in exaggerated laughter, accidentally clocking Ursula in the process. Ursula howled and elbowed Cruella in the ribs. Cruella in turn shoved her, and soon the two were in slapping at each other’s hands in a way Emma had only ever seen in cartoons. She and Maleficent actually shared an eye roll before Mal’s gaze turned gleefully dark once more.

 

“My dear, what would people think at the wretched sight of you?” she purred.

 

Ursula and Cruella, already bored of their skirmish, flanked Maleficent with devilish grins.

 

“Look at your nails! Look at your dress!” hooted Ursula.

 

Emma looked down at herself, took note of the grimy pail of water beside her and her filthy rag of a dress, and _shit_. She knew who she was. Her brows knit together as her mind raced. Should she just… play along?

 

“Uh, drat, I guess you’re right. I’ll just...” she picked up a brush from the floor and dipped it gingerly into the dirty water. She was hoping they’d hurry up and get the the hell out. According to Disney’s “Cinderella,” they were going to leave for the ball without her anyway. But they all just looked at her, momentarily dumbstruck that she’d agreed. “I mean... unless you’ll take me after all? I’d still like to go,” she tried again. Smugness immediately returned to the dimwitted sisters’ faces as they looked to their mother, who was glaring at her much more keenly.

 

“My dear, I don’t know what you’re up to, but no matter what sort of sweet little thing your parents fooled you into believing you are, surely you understand the prince isn’t looking to marry a scullery maid.” Mal’s words were slow and deliberate, clearly intended to twist a knife.

 

“That’s what _you_ think,” Emma muttered to the floor, then squeezed her eyes shut in regret. She couldn’t give herself away, not until she knew exactly what she was dealing with here. She looked up with her best downtrodden puppy eyes and hoped they bought it.

 

Satisfied, Mal turned on her heel and beckoned for Cruella and Ursula to follow.

 

Dropping the disgusting brush, Emma began to pace, wringing her dingy apron to give her hands something to do. She passed a cracked mirror and gave a start when she saw not her own face but Ashley’s. Weird. She didn’t remember hearing about any Freaky Friday incidents when people had returned to the Enchanted Forest before. It would take some getting used to, that’s for sure. Around and around the room she continued. What should be her next move? The chances of everyone at home knowing where she was were slim to none. She ran a hand over her face in frustration, no doubt leaving smudges of dirt as she went. Ah well, might as well look the part; she would have to make do here until she could figure out her own way back.

 

But if that meant playing out Cinderella’s story, her whole life was about to be decided for her. She could end up married to a stranger, like, tomorrow. Which, no. Not happening.

 

She faintly heard the continued giggling of her stepsisters — _oh god, I have to live with these walking squeaky toys._ They were finally outside; she could hear a carriage pulling away, taking them off to horrify the prince, no doubt.

 

Not feeling very optimistic, she tried to call up some magic, but nope, nada. Well that put a damper on things. What the fuck was she supposed to do, go to some stupid ball?

 

Wait! _Of course._ If the movie plot held true, a nice lady with a magic wand should be coming by any minute now. Surely she’d understand the mixup and be willing to send Emma back home.

 

________________________

  


_“I wish to be sent to the same place as Emma Swan.”_

 

Regina anticipated the jolt of magical travel and easily steadied herself when she instantly appeared in whatever realm Emma had been wished to. What she was _not_ prepared for was David, dressed in a hideous floppy hat and covered in flour, pleading pathetically in her face.

 

“Please, I barely knew my father. I’m sorry he stole your— your cabbages and rutabagas, was it? Or beans? You said that all very quickly.” He took his hat off and twisted it in his hands. “It’s like you said, he abandoned me when I was very young, left me nothing but a few bread recipes.”

 

 _What the hell?_ Regina tilted her head and examined him with narrowed eyes.

 

“Did you say you’re the reason we can’t have a child?” And there was Snow, in an awful yellow apron and equally disheveled, shoving past David and attempting to look defiant, although the slight tremor in her white-knuckled fists told Regina otherwise.

 

“I… What?” Regina stalled. Something about this was vaguely familiar.

 

“You said you could reverse the curse, and you should! We don’t know anything about your stupid beans, and you can’t punish us for what his father did! All we’ve ever wished for was a child!” Snow’s chin was quivering slightly, but the spark in her eyes remained. “And… and you should release his sister!”

 

“His sister?” Regina asked. This was a lot of information to get at once.

 

“My sister?” David said.

 

“Yes, your sister that she kidnapped to punish your father and keep for herself!” Snow looked at David. “She _just said_ she hid her away.”

 

“Oh. Right. I had already forgotten,” he said sheepishly. “Maybe I’ll look her up after we break the curse?”

 

Regina raised an eyebrow half-heartedly at that unenthusiastic response while the wheels in her head turned furiously. _Bakers, stolen vegetables, infertility curse, kidnapped sister... oooh._ Well this was interesting. _Emma Swan, if you brought me somewhere I have to spontaneously burst into song, so help me_ —

 

David and Snow were staring at her curiously. _No, David,_ she thought to herself, _this is the last time your sister will ever cross your mind_. _Kind of a plot hole, honestly_.

 

Regina paid them no mind, pacing slowly and considering her best course of action. Emma was in this land somewhere, but apparently not in the immediate vicinity; Regina would have to find her. For now, it may be best to follow the musical’s plot, which she knew well. If it meant she’d need to torment some Charmings in the process, well that was purely incidental.

 

“Right. The curse. Yes, it can be reversed with a potion. You’ll need to gather the ingredients, so _pay attention_ ,” she snapped, pointedly eyeing David, or simply The Baker, as he was known in the show. He nodded seriously. “You will bring me: a cow as white as milk, a cape as red as blood, hair as yellow as corn, and a slipper as pure as gold!”

 

“A cow as white as milk, a cape as red as blood, hair as yellow as corn, a slipper as pure as gold. We can do that,” Snow said brightly. “Yes, we can do that! And then we’ll be able to have a baby?”

 

“Yes, and your child will be as perfect as a child can be,” Regina recited the line. The corners of her mouth quirked up at the thought of Emma. Promising perfection may be... well, a stretch, but that didn’t mean they wouldn’t be incredibly lucky to have her. “Just whatever you do, don’t put her in a tree.”

 

“A tree?” Snow’s brow furrowed.

 

“That’s another story, never mind. Anyway... you have until the third midnight to bring me the items, or....” Regina froze as a hellish thought occurred to her. She spotted a puddle and rushed over to it. She leaned forward to peer in, and— “Ugh, Christ!” The face of an old hag stared up at her, complete with a tangled mass of gray curls. Her clothes were essentially an oversized, shapeless heap of tattered black velvet. _Oh they better break this curse, all right._ She wondered if, when the curse broke and the witch became young again, she would have her own face.

 

“We’ll do it,” she heard David say determinedly, and she swiftly returned to glare at him.

 

“Then why are you still standing here, dear? Go to the wood!” Regina barked gleefully. Ah, ugly or not, she could at least take comfort in a bit of harmless antagonization. Even with the absence of the Evil Queen, she could still throw a barb or two.

 

As the baker and his wife hurried off, she heard them bickering over whether Snow could go help with the ingredients (“The spell is on _my_ house!” “No, the spell is on _our_ house!”), and she rolled her eyes. Apparently Baker David didn’t realize the resourcefulness his wife possessed, but he soon would.

 

Now, where to find Emma? There had to be a clue somewhere. As she wandered aimlessly, she became aware that the musical’s prologue had lodged itself in her head. “A cow as white as milk, a cape as red as blood, hair as yellow as corn…” was playing on loop.

 

Hair as yellow as corn.

 

Emma.

 

And finally, she knew where to look. Or at least she hoped she did. She now walked with purpose, eyes skyward and heart warming with something like hope.

 

___________________

  


Emma had been twiddling her thumbs for quite some time. Why wasn’t she here yet? She huffed impatiently and began counting the stones in the floor for the millionth time.

 

Birds had come through the window and had begun flitting around her (no mice, she noted). They swooped and twittered and seemed to really want her attention. _Okay, here goes nothing._

 

“Hey, um, could you go find my fairy godmother so we can bibbidi-bobbidi-boo this shit and get on with it?”

 

But the birds didn’t leave. They just flew about more earnestly. One landed on her finger and seemed to squawk as hard as its tiny throat would let it, giving what she assumed was bird attitude.

 

“Guys, I don’t speak bird. That’s my mom.”

 

They flew out the window and hovered, looking out toward the woods and then back at her. This repeated a couple of times until Emma caught on.

 

“You want me to follow you?” she asked, shaking her head that she was pinning her hopes on the assumption that birds knew English.

 

They swooped and dove more excitedly, so she decided that meant she’d said the right thing. She told them to wait outside and tentatively crept through the large manor, seeing no one along the way.

 

Once she met up with them again, the birds took off for the forest. She hurried along after them, grumbling that the fairy godmother was not this elusive in the cartoon.

 

When they reached an expansive tree and the birds settled softly onto the branches, Emma sighed in relief. She spun around, trying to figure out what she was supposed to do. “Hello? Fairy Godmother? Are you here?” she called in no particular direction.

 

The beautiful tree before her began to glow with a golden aura, but Emma’s blood ran cold as a face appeared amidst the light. She’d never expected to see Ingrid again, and definitely not like this. Even though she knew this was a different realm, her eyes darted involuntarily to her wrist to check that a yellow ribbon wasn’t there.

 

“My beautiful daughter, how wonderful to see you.” Ingrid’s voice glided out like silk, and Emma felt strangely comforted for the first time since she’d arrived. It was as if she could feel Cinderella’s body relaxing in the affection of what was... her mother’s spirit? Maybe?

 

“You’ve been so patient and kind, everything I knew you’d be from the time you were a baby.” Tree Ingrid beamed, and Emma’s mind started shifting gears at the possibility that no fairy godmother was coming, and this was a version of Cinderella she didn’t entirely know. “What is it you wish, my child?”

 

“To go home,” Emma said fervently. “Can you send me home? To my real home and the people I love. My family.” Unbidden, Regina’s face appeared in her mind, but she pushed that aside to wonder about later.

 

“I’m afraid I don’t have the ability to send you anywhere, nor can I return to you,” said the spirit. Emma’s face fell. Cinderella’s mother didn’t recognize her as an imposter. “But I may be able to help you on your journey to a new home and family.”

 

“Oh,” she said, unable to keep the disappointment from her voice. She had no interest in anything other than realm-hopping out of here.

 

Sensing movement above her, Emma looked up to see an extremely glittery gold dress being floated down to her by the birds. It dropped into her arms, and looking down, she noticed delicate golden slippers next to her feet. She wrinkled her nose at the outfit, which consisted of far more ruffles than she’d ever planned to wear in her life, but decided at least this version of the story spared her from wearing glass on her feet.

 

“You will be the most beautiful of all at the festival,” Tree Ingrid said fondly. “I believe you will find your happiness there. Now go, my love, while there’s still time.” Emma nodded as the spirit disappeared. The birds chirped at her but stayed with the tree, so she trudged back to the manor alone, dress and slippers bundled in her arms. She had to go, had no choice really. This was the only lead she had. Sighing deeply, she put on the itchy monstrosity and wished, pointlessly, and for the hundredth time today, for home. Being the Savior may be a burden in Storybrooke at the moment, but she could depend on the people she loved to help her through. Regina, Henry, her parents… they would never give up. Oh, and Hook… well, anyway, she had _some_ people who would fight by her side to the end. If only she could find them.

 

___________________________

  


It was possible Regina had been walking in circles for at least two hours, though she was loath to admit it. How could a tower be so difficult to find? She turned back toward the village to see if anyone knew of it and ran smack into the side of a cow. It huffed at her, indignant. “Excuse you, don’t you belong in a pasture?” she said before following the rope around its neck to… Henry? His eyes were downward, seemingly devastated.

 

“Oh! Hen— hello. How are you, young man?” _Jack, he’s Jack_ , she realized, with his cow, Milky White. Her heart broke a little knowing that he was on his way to sell his dearest — albeit strangest — friend. But it had to happen if the curse were to break.

 

Eyes wide, he stumbled. “I was just— I didn’t mean to disturb you. Please let me go.”

 

What? Why would he… _oh._ She’d forgotten her glamorous new look. Well wasn’t this an unpleasant little dose of déjà vu? It had been so long since people had cowered in her presence that she’d apparently started taking it for granted. It certainly was no longer something she enjoyed.

 

“You may go,” she said in attempt to be aloof, “but first you must tell me where to find the tower with no doors and a single window at the top.”

 

“I don’t know, I’m— I’m sorry!” he stuttered.

 

He went to pass her, and she instinctively reached out for his arm before realizing it would only terrorize him further. Instead, she called more gently, “Young man… things have a way of working out. Just wait and see.” He looked back at her, his brow furrowed in confusion. She smiled cryptically and waved him off, vaguely noticing a faint rumble of thunder as she turned to continue on her way.

 

She’d barely walked a hundred yards when a flash of red caught her eye. A closer look confirmed that it was a maiden in a cape. When she spoke, Regina was surprisingly relieved to hear Ruby’s voice. _At least one of these characters is consistent_. She followed closer, keeping her eyes peeled. She suspected Ruby was talking to…

 

There it was, the wolf! _The weirdly lecherous talking wolf_ , she reminded herself. She had half a mind to intervene, but knowing Ruby — as well as this version of Little Red Riding Hood — could take care of herself, she stayed back to merely observe.

 

“We’ve been over this. I shouldn’t go with you,” Ruby said, her voice slightly strained. Regina had never heard a less sure “shouldn’t” in her life.

 

The wolf, who was really quite beautiful, with gleaming reddish brown fur and bright, soulful eyes, made some whining noises. Regina strained but couldn’t make out any words. Ruby didn’t seem to mind, though, especially when the wolf picked a flower with its teeth and nuzzled it into her hand. Something about this wolf seemed softer than the one in the play. Regina had a hard time imagining it was just trying to seduce Ruby into becoming its dinner.

 

“Look, I’d love to go exploring, but I have to think of my Granny,” Ruby said with sorrow in her eyes, and after a moment, the wolf turned and trotted off with its head hanging. Ruby paused, twisting the flower in her fingertips, and Regina felt a curious ache in her heart for the young woman when something shoved past her, barreling toward Ruby.

 

David nearly tackled her, but then realizing what he was about to do, attempted to stop abruptly. The momentum left him tumbling to the ground in a heap, allowing Ruby the opportunity to escape. Taking her cue, Regina ran at David and screamed, “The cape! Get the cape, you idiot!”

 

Alarmed, David looked at her from the ground. He was about to get up when a blur of hair and skirts and flour blew past him toward Ruby. _Good girl_ , thought Regina. “I told her to stay home,” David muttered, and Regina couldn’t stop herself from smacking the back of his head. The amount of fondness and appreciation this misogynistic imbecile was making her feel for the other David was on the verge of unacceptable.

 

Just as the baker got to his feet, his wife rushed back over. “I lost her,” she panted. “I don’t know how someone who eats that many sticky buns can run that fast. But I saw which direction she went. Maybe we can find her grandmother’s house.”

 

“Okay, but on _my_ way, _I’ll_ start looking for the other ingredients,” he said stubbornly, getting his breath back. “Um, what were they again?”

“See, you do need me!” she exclaimed, and they began squabbling again in earnest.

 

Regina closed her eyes and tried to tune them out, wondering if harming them in this realm would count against her hero points in Storybrooke. _That’s it, screw the story_ , she thought. She turned to them and cried, “Enough!” They looked at her, alarmed. “Let me make this as simple I can, lest you tax your brains,” she huffed irritably. “The hair as yellow as corn is utterly and completely obvious, just get—”

 

The earth rumbled abruptly beneath her, causing her to struggle for balance. Snow and David did the same, looking frightened. The brief quake subsided, and Regina tried again. “As I was saying, for the hair, you need only—”

 

The earth shook more forcefully this time, knocking Regina’s feet from under her. She stayed on the ground, getting her bearings. Something felt off about this. David offered her a hand, but she shooed him away, instead using her staff to slowly get to her feet. She looked up to see the pair staring at her expectantly.

 

“The hair?” Snow asked timidly.

 

“What, you expect me to just give you the answers?” she spat at them and waited. No more earthquakes. _Okay, noted_ , she thought, beginning to piece together a theory.

 

“Well… yes?” said David. “It kind of seemed like you were going to.”

 

“Only fools make assumptions!” she screeched. She had to admit acting slightly unhinged was starting to feel like slipping into a favorite old coat that had been hidden at the back of a closet for too long. She wasn’t planning to bring it back out for regular use, but it was nice for a moment after being fairly buttoned up for some time now.

 

She turned away to see Henry approaching from far off and knew it was time to make her exit, so as not to spook him.

 

“Time is running out!” she yelled and ran off the path, out of Henry’s line of sight. If all went according to the play (and she truly didn’t know if she could count on it, based on David’s less than impressive start), the bakers would have found the magic beans — which they didn’t know were magic but would tell Jack/Henry they were anyway — in David’s father’s jacket.

 

 _If_ they found the beans.

 

No, Regina couldn’t worry about that now; she had to prioritize finding Emma. But just in case they screwed this up, she checked to see if this world’s witch could conjure fireballs in her hands and was pleased with the results.

 

______________________

 

The sun was nearing the horizon when Regina spotted it: a small, thatched rooftop barely clearing the treeline not too far ahead. She broke into a run (which was not easy in this body) until she reached the clearing where the tower stood. Her heart was racing as she stared up at it, and not just because of the short sprint.

 

She’d found her.

 

She’d found Emma after such a long, unusual day, and she was so relieved-exhausted-excited that she almost didn’t care if they made their way back to Storybrooke. Today, anyway.

 

The thought of spending an evening trapped in the top of a tower with Emma, sequestered from everyone in this realm and any other, was surprisingly appealing.

 

Not that it should be a surprise. Because Regina had been running toward Emma long before this day, and she thought — _knew_ — Emma had been running in her direction, too, at the very least since Neverland. But their timing left something to be desired. Just when one would pick up the pace, the other would back off; there were soulmates and villains and asshole pirates and literal hell. But there were also magic lessons and Hardee’s and watching their son’s first dance.

 

Regina had grown weary of so many people in her life, but through it all, she found herself wanting only more of Emma.

 

So okay, no need to play coy with herself. Wanting alone time with Emma wasn’t surprising at all. It was, however, a moot point, since the pirate seemed to be a permanent fixture these days. And Regina absolutely blamed him as she watched Emma retreat further inward, becoming a shell of the woman Regina knew and loved. But her Emma was still in there, and Regina just couldn’t rid her heart of this one futile hope for a relationship that would never be. Still, no matter what, when Emma needed her, she would always, _always_ be there. Even in another realm, about to climb a goddamn rope of hair.

 

With butterflies stirring to life in her stomach, Regina called “Rapunzel, let down your hair!” For a moment nothing happened, and the butterflies turned to more intense nausea. She opened her mouth to try again when a thick yellow braid, gleaming in the setting sunlight, was lowered to the ground. Regina took a breath and began to climb.

 

After an ungodly amount of climbing, she heaved herself through the window with a very unladylike grunt and rushed to stand. The blonde had her back to Regina, so she took a tentative step forward. “Emma?”

 

“Sorry?” said the other woman as she turned to face Regina, and Regina’s jaw dropped. A very golden-haired Zelena stood before her. She felt the loss of Emma acutely, like the floor of the tower might actually be buckling beneath her feet, but she immediately gathered herself and focused on how ridiculous her sister looked as a blonde.

 

“What did you say, Mother?” Zelena asked, and _that_ was enough to shock any remaining grief right out of Regina. _Mother!_ Zelena would _never_ let her live this down if she ever found out. But then Regina could just mock her for having such a small part.

 

“Err, hello dear. It’s lovely to see you,” Regina said kindly, having no idea how the real witch spoke to her kidnapped “daughter.”

 

Blonde Zelena thankfully didn’t appear to be rattled by her tone. “Mother” — and Regina cringed in spite of herself — “will you please let me out today? You know I wish so desperately to see the world.” Her face was remarkably dreamy, which was rather peculiar on Zelena. “There are people I’d love to see— I mean, places to go.”

 

 _Interesting change of phrase_ , thought Regina. _I wonder…_

 

“My dear, I know you must be quite lonely, with no one but me to talk to,” Regina said, watching Zelena closely. And there it was, her eyes darting away with a hint of guilt.

 

So if the prince was already visiting Zelena, Regina had to hurry if she wanted the Charmings to get the hair in time. (Yes, even if it was for naught in the play. Regina needed them to stay motivated, if for no other reason than to keep them occupied while she searched.)

 

“I’m sorry my dear, but I can’t let you out, Rapunzel. The world is a dark place, and here I can keep you safe,” Regina said with a tinge of guilt. She really didn’t want to be anyone’s captor anymore.

 

“Yes, Mother.” Zelena’s eyes filled with tears, and she curled up in a chair. She didn’t even fight back at all. Seeing her so defeated was completely foreign to Regina, and frankly, despite her current feelings for her actual sister, she missed the fire in her eyes. Missed their banter. Maybe, if they ever got back to Storybrooke, she’d have to think about forgiving her for Robin’s death. She’d moved on. Why should she keep punishing Zelena?

 

“Trust me, child. I know what I’m doing. I’ll visit again soon,” Regina said. She went to the window to climb down, but turned back briefly to add, “And I will try to listen to you more, I promise. I truly do want the best for you.”

 

Climbing out the window, she noticed a rumble of thunder that was closer than the previous one. “If it fucking rains while I’m stuck out here…” She swore and grumbled most of the way down. Once on her feet again, she considered her next move. Even if Emma wasn’t Rapunzel, Regina had a gut feeling that the ingredients were the key to finding her. And there was only one she hadn’t yet encountered.

 

 _Dammit_. She was hardly dressed for a ball.

 

________________________

  


Emma could only handle about ten minutes with the prince before she excused herself to go to the ladies’ room, which was probably uncouth or some shit here. God forbid a girl’s gotta pee. Instead of seeking out a powder room, though, she bolted from the castle.

 

Earlier, she’d frozen when she first encountered the single-and-disgustingly-ready-to-mingle prince, who was the spitting image of Hook. And to make matters infinitely more cringeworthy, he was accompanied by his footman, Robin. It shouldn’t be a surprise at this point to see familiar faces, but it was still jarring, especially since Hook took a glass of champagne from Robin’s tray and handed it to her with his left hand. Because he had one. That presumably wasn’t possessed.

 

Prince Hook, who really had no concept of personal space, had claimed to be rather taken with her as soon as he’d laid eyes on her. And judging from the way he openly and frequently raked his eyes over her body with an overt grin, that may have been true. But those eyes wandered whenever she spoke, so he seemed to be taken with lots of women. That or he was bored; she couldn’t tell which. Neither was flattering. Though he did seem as eager as she was to avoid her nightmare of a “family.”

 

Prior to meeting Prince Hook, the only useful tidbit she’d picked up was that this thing wasn’t just a ball, it was a three-day matchmaking festival for the prince, like The Bachelor meets Burning Man set in medieval times. She had to dress up in this garb _two more times_. But it did extend her chances to figure out how to get out of here.

 

With an inward shudder, she turned on the charm she’d perfected in her former career. She figured it would be worth picking the prince’s brain; who was more likely to know about magic than the people at the top of the food chain? She just had to ask the right questions. Completely in her element (save the Honey Boo Boo getup), she skillfully maintained a balance between flirtatious and inquisitive. True to her experiences with countless other marks, Hook only paid attention to her cleavage and failed to notice that she was subtly grilling him for information.

 

Playing pretend at being affectionate and enjoying his company should have been easy, given that he was her boyfriend’s doppelganger, right down to the apparent fondness for the Enchanted Forest’s MAC counter. But instead of making her miss her own Hook fondly, this guy kind of made her want to barf, just like all the other dirtbags she’d had to cozy up to in the past. He was Hook exactly as he’d been when she met him, interested in her as a plaything to seduce. He also freely made snide or cutting remarks about other people he saw, even his own family. It made her wonder if his loyalties were just as fluid as Hook 1.0. What would he say about her later? What would he do if she did something to upset him (like, oh, save his life)? Could he really be trusted not to turn back to his self-centered ways at the first sign of conflict?

 

Wait, was she still thinking about the prince or...?

 

Uneasy with how quickly that train of thought had spiraled, she excused herself, having assessed that he’d be of no use to her and, frankly, wanting to avoid what he was driving her to contemplate. So despite being at the ball for less than an hour, she blended into the crowd and slipped out of the palace. Or at least, she thought she was being stealthy, but right as she was at the foot of the stairs, she heard a voice calling, “Wait!” and looked up in horror to see the prince pursuing her. She booked it for the forest at the edge of the grounds, grateful for her experience running the streets of Boston in heels.

 

Unsure how far the prince would follow, she kept up a decent jog for a while, occasionally looking over her shoulder. That was how she found herself ricocheting off the side of a cow. Not a deer or elk or any other expected forest animal. A cow, which let out a disgruntled moo.

 

“Oh my goodness!” cried a high-pitched voice, followed by a rosy-cheeked face peeking around the cow’s head.

 

“Uh, sorry about that,” Emma mumbled hastily to her mother, because at this point, why wouldn’t it be? She didn’t have time to be bothered, still not trusting that she was safe from being followed. She made to move around the cow when Snow said, “Wait! Where are you going?”

 

“I’m not exactly sure, but I need to keep going or someone I really don’t want to see will catch up to me,” Emma said, her eyes darting around nervously.

 

“Oh no! Well here, I can help!” said… er, Dairy Maid Snow? “I passed a cluster of fallen trees just back that way. They’d make a perfect little shelter to hide in.” She immediately turned and pulled the cow hurriedly. Shrugging, Emma followed her.

 

Once inside the little tree cave, with the cow standing guard dutifully, Emma sat on a log and let out a long breath. “So… I’ve never really seen a cow in the woods. How did you end up here?”

 

“My husband and I, um, bought it from a boy,” she said in a way that made Emma suspect there was more to the story there. “We’re undoing a curse.” She plopped down next to Emma.

 

“Been there.” Emma nodded wearily before noticing Snow’s eyes on her, and she looked up to see a gaze of wonder there. Emma raised an eyebrow at her.

 

“I’m sorry, you just look so… beautiful. So elegant and sophisticated,” she smiled wistfully. “Did you attend the festival?”

 

Emma let out a mirthless chuckle. “Yep, I sure did,” she said, brushing leaves out of her many decidedly _not_ sophisticated skirts.

 

“Was it wonderful?” Snow asked dreamily. “Did you meet the prince?”

 

“Oh yeah, I met him all right,” Emma said grimly. “He was a real treat.”

 

“I knew it!” Snow exclaimed, unsurprisingly oblivious to Emma’s tone. “He must be, I mean, he’s a prince. Was he as handsome and sensitive and clever and well-mannered as they say?” Emma scoffed loudly. “Was he passionate? Did he ask you to dance?”

 

“Um, I left before he could, I guess. We just talked and had champagne,” Emma shrugged, not wanting to needlessly dash the woman’s dreams.

 

“Champagne!” squeaked Snow. “How regal! He must have thought you were very special to court you in such an elaborate manner, with so many women to choose from.”

 

“That’s kind of a low bar, don’t you thi—”

 

“Do you think it’s true love?!” Snow interrupted, and of course that would be her trait that transcended realms.

 

“Whoa, slow your roll,” Emma said with her hands up. “That’s a heavy question after just one drink.”

 

Snow sighed wistfully. “What’s not to love about a prince? ” Emma rolled her eyes. _You’d be better off with a shepherd in a prince’s clothing?_ “And anyway, with love, don’t you just know?”

 

“I… no, love is more complicated sometimes,” Emma countered perhaps a bit too defensively. “I don’t think everyone knows right away. A person can grow on you.” _Or not_... “Sometimes it takes being in a relationship awhile to know if you want to be in it. You know?”

 

It was actually kind of freeing to bounce ideas off this random Snow whom she would hopefully never see again.

 

“I suppose.” Snow’s eyes sparkled, and Emma braced herself for something incredibly sappy. “But I believe what’s in someone’s heart shines through from the very beginning, and some part of you can just feel what it’s like to be loved by them, and if you could love them back. Your own heart may respond right from the start even if it takes time for your brain to catch up.” She nods for emphasis, confident in her position.

 

“Yeah, well, my brain is easily confused,” Emma admitted, more to herself than Snow. “There are things it _should_ want but kind of doesn’t, and things it wishes it could have but can’t.” _Oh fuck, this is the last thing I need to be thinking of right now._

 

These feelings were supposed to be dead and buried. Maybe the wish realm was bringing it out of her.

 

“I find there’s no use in wishing for things that are out of your reach,” said Snow seriously. “It only brings sadness.” Snow’s eyes briefly darkened, and Emma wondered just what she was missing in this life. As for the sadness, Emma was all too familiar with that. Her chest felt an old, familiar pang as her memory, unbidden, brought forth the image of Regina smiling so brightly, so giddy from her new relationship with that mouth-breathing tree hugger.

 

She thought about the first time she met Regina. It wasn’t love at first sight then either, not yet. But she did see exactly how Regina loved. So whatever, maybe this Snow was right and Emma’s heart had been immediately all in, because anyone would be lucky to be on the receiving end of the kind of fierce devotion she’d shown for Henry. It was her brain — the one which had misguidedly questioned that very devotion not long after — that had been slower to catch on.

 

Years ago, when Emma allowed herself to entertain the what-ifs, she liked to imagine the many different ways she could have personally wiped (pummeled, kicked, magically exploded) the smirk off Peter Pan’s stupid little face. He was an easy target to blame for ruining Emma’s clearest shot with Regina. Never mind her own misguided choices. She even thought Regina could love her back then, but not now. So much had changed; for reasons that may have seemed legit at some point, they had both instead pursued other relationships. Now Regina was grieving Robin, and Emma had probably ruined her chances with her for good with all the Hook stuff. He was kind of the only choice left, and she was trying hard to make it work. She just wished she didn’t have to.

 

What was she even thinking? She may never see either of them again, or Henry. For the first time, she broke, tears springing to her eyes. Of the three of them, she ached for the two she had yet to see in this world, and felt bitter about the one she had. Was there a fake Regina walking around? Would she and Henry even know each other, if he were here too? Emma didn’t think she could bear seeing them as anyone else, as total strangers. She suddenly had an even deeper appreciation for what Regina must have gone through with Henry during Zelena’s first reign of terror.

 

Emma pulled her feet up to the log, resting her arms on her knees and burying her face there. Snow patted her shoulder. “I’m sure the prince’s heart is true. You’ll see it in— oh my word!”

 

Startled, Emma raised her tear-stained face to look at Snow. She was pointing down at Emma’s feet now peeking out from underneath her dress.

 

“Slippers as pure as gold!” Snow practically shouted.

 

“Oh, yeah,” Emma said dully. “They were a gift.”

 

“Could I have them?” Snow’s eyes were growing slightly wild.

 

“What? I mean, no, I kind of need my shoes,” Emma said carefully.

 

“But I need them to have a baby!” Snow grabbed at Emma’s foot.

 

“Okay… I’m gonna go now,” Emma said, standing to get away from the slowly erupting crazy happening before her. “Thanks for the hiding place.”

 

Emma turned go and was surprised to feel an arm grab her. She whirled around to wrench it away and accidentally smacked the cow’s rump in the process. It took off, and Snow cried “No!” Emma was able to get her arm free and noted the completely torn look on Snow’s face as she watched her cow run away, while also glancing again at Emma’s feet. Emma could help her decide; she took off running. Despite hearing “Wait!” echoing behind her for the second time that night, she kept going, dodging branches and puffing out heavy breaths.

 

“Birds! Hey birds! If you’re there, could you come get me?” she yelled eventually, slowing to a stop. It was a long shot, but soon they were fluttering around her. “I’m lost,” she said, struck once more with incredible longing. “Show me the way home, please,” she sighed heavily. “To the manor.” The birds whirled and flitted away in a single direction, and she trudged behind, momentarily defeated.

 

____________________________

  


Regina never found the festival. The sun had set a good while ago, and while she’d been able to make herself a torch, she didn’t want to wander too far from the general direction of the village.

 

With nothing but her thoughts to keep her company, Regina kept returning to two topics that happened to overlap. First there was Emma, always Emma, whom she’d been apart from for only a day that felt like a lifetime. And yet she sensed her all around. Even here, where her magic was different (and who knew if Emma even had magic at all?), she could feel their familiar connection in the atmosphere, beneath her skin, everywhere. It was the one piece of comfort she had.

 

And reflecting on the way Emma made her feel — almost like there was a fountain of additional joy within her that had gone previously untapped, but now provided a steady undercurrent as she moved about her day-to-day — inevitably made Robin’s lack of that phenomenon all the more apparent.

 

For Regina, Robin had served a very specific purpose: to be good enough. She had genuinely mourned him as a decent person and one she felt a fondness for. But he would never have been the love of her life, not even close. The more time they spent together, the more she was convinced their souls were bound in friendship, nothing more.

 

Whereas right from the start, even as an enemy and still to this day, Emma made her feel more alive in a way that only Henry ever had before. With Robin, Regina had taken what she could get — what she was told to have faith in —  and tried her damnedest to make the best of it.

 

She had wasted so much time working at something that was average at best. What if she had just ignored the lure of a soulmate? What if she’d tried harder to convince Emma that Hook was undeserving? What if she’d been as outspoken and confident as she had once been and just said how she fucking felt? She hoped one day she could forgive herself for all of it and move on. They would always be family, just not the kind she wanted.

 

Realizing her pace had considerably slowed as she’d sunk deeper into her thoughts, she made an effort to clear her head as she headed back to check in on the Charming Bakers.

 

Speaking of which... if all was going according to plan, and if Regina was right about who Emma was here, Snow and Emma could be holed up chatting right now. At least there was a small comfort in that.

 

Meanwhile, Henry was probably up a beanstalk stealing from giants, thanks to the beans the bakers had traded him for the cow. Much less comforting. _Move forward, that’s all I can do,_ she tried to reason, even as her stomach sank at the thought.

 

Regina headed in the direction she’d seen Ruby and the wolf go earlier, and after about an hour she found a cozy cabin with smoke billowing from the chimney.

 

She wasn’t entirely looking forward to the gruesome scene she would come upon. The wolf had actually seemed somewhat kind earlier, as far as she could tell. He was supposed to be a creep, but his body language had been almost submissive to Ruby, affectionate in a way. And Ruby seemed far from the naive Little Red from the musical. There had been weight behind her words, as if there were already a relationship there.

 

She knew it was probably silly to make such assumptions about a wild animal, but she just couldn’t picture this wolf somehow eating Granny (would it be Eugenia?) and Ruby, only to have David come along to cut them out of its stomach.

 

She couldn’t interfere, though, if she wanted to get this spell broken. Ruby was attached to that cape; they needed a powerful, chivalrous act to convince her to give it up.

 

As she looked on, the front door creaked open, and David emerged empty handed. _Incompetent fool_. He must have been too late, allowing the wolf to escape with a full belly, including a blood-red cape. She growled to herself, gladly ready to make him a target of her pent up rage, when Ruby followed after him, with... Belle? They were all talking congenially. Finally, Granny Lucas appeared, leaning against the doorframe.

 

Okay, someone had gone pretty far off book here.

 

Inching closer, Regina was able to hear their voices drifting through the trees.

 

“Get out of here, girl, before I change my mind,” Granny barked out gruffly. Rather than recoiling at her tone, Ruby grinned at her fondly. The barest hint of a smile graced Granny’s lips.

 

“I’ll be back, I promise.” Ruby sprang forward to hug Granny, and Regina barely made out a murmured “thank you.” Then she stepped back to join Belle, clasping her hands with joy in her eyes. They leaned together and shared a brief but clearly adoring kiss. _Well, then._ _Belle doesn’t have abysmal taste everywhere, it seems._

 

David stood by, looking rather hopeless about the whole thing. So his eyebrows raised in surprise when Ruby stepped over to him and untied her cape. “I won’t be needing this anymore. She’s going to teach me to control it when I want.” And she slipped it off and handed it to him, smiling. Then she stepped back, almost immediately transforming into a magnificent wolf. David’s eyes were as wide as saucers, and he stumbled back a couple of steps. Belle morphed into the friendly beast Regina had seen earlier, and the two howled in unison before taking off joyfully into the night.

 

Emotion welled up inside Regina, taking her aback. She could easily blame her unblackened heart, but the truth was after a long day of unattained goals on all sides, it was nice to see someone get something that made them happy. That it happened to be two women who’d managed to overcome obstacles to be together made it all the more special, and also a bit gut-wrenching, if she allowed herself to be honest.  

 

Strange how different it was from the plot of the play, though.

 

Granny had just turned to go back inside when another thunderous vibration rippled through the ground beneath them. Granny and David exchanged troubled looks, then Granny went in and slammed her door. Regina gathered herself and pounced on David, shrieking, “One midnight gone!”

 

Thoroughly spooked, he ran off toward his home, clutching the cape for dear life. Knowing the plan was still on track, Regina felt a crooked smile form on crooked lips. Now she just had to find her own house and pilfer this allegedly glorious garden of hers. She was _starving_.

  



	2. One Midnight Gone

The next morning, after a fitful sleep in which she dreamt of Emma having a rather significant role in a royal wedding, Regina set out to find the palace. She decided to swing back by the tower to see if anything eventful was happening, and sure enough, she happened upon Snow in the woods. She was leaning against a tree, peering around at something Regina couldn’t see.

 

“Well well, look who’s out scouting instead of waiting at home like a good little wife,” Regina said softly, earning a squeak from the startled Snow.

 

“That was rather unnecessary,” Snow huffed, and turned her attention back to whatever she’d been observing before. Regina sidled up beside her and looked around.

 

And of course, there were the rather insufferable characters she’d been happy to avoid thus far. Two men stood posturing toward each other, engaging in an obnoxiously loud conversation about the misery of their romantic predicaments. Their gaudy attire was that of princes with exceptionally poor taste. (Honestly, she was the only person she’d ever known who commanded truly inspired creations from a royal tailor.)

 

“Look how regal they are!” Snow whispered excitedly, receiving the eye roll to end all eye rolls in reply.

 

Regina’s eyes darkened when she focused in on the first prince. Could she not manage to find a realm where this cretin wasn’t pursuing Emma? At least that was whom she assumed he was blathering on about. Regina smirked as he cluelessly pondered why a woman would run from his many irresistible qualities.  _ And yet resist you she did, you useless waste of perfectly good eyeliner _ . 

 

If only her Emma would…  _ stop it, she’s not yours. _

 

The other prince, a far less endearing version of the Lancelot she’d previously encountered, spoke up in an attempt to outdo his brother’s so-called “agony,” lamenting about his maiden stuck in a tower. As Regina was refraining from making a vomit-inducing gesture, her eyes happened to catch a figure lurking in the trees just a few feet away from the princes. He was dressed formally but not as elaborately as the princes, in attire that seemed to indicate he may be an attendant of some kind. It was when she focused on his face that Regina’s heart nearly stopped.

 

She should have expected Robin might be here, but it may has well have knocked the wind out of her anyway. How exactly does one process seeing a person who’s been buried and grieved but is now alive and well (sort of)? It would be nothing short of a shock to the system for anyone.

 

But as she stood there, Regina realized that’s all it was: shock. It was the final confirmation she needed to accept the feelings that had come up the previous evening. If seeing him didn’t bring up any ache in her heart, any instinct to reach out, his role in her life really hadn’t been what she’d pretended it was. 

 

Shaking herself from her reverie, Regina returned her attention to the situation at hand. Snow had been listening intently, seemingly enraptured by the melodramatic doofuses. Prince Lancelot was lamenting that his beloved was trapped in a tower.  _ A decent match for Zelena, at least, if not for the idiot factor. _

 

The men continued their little competition, with Hook declaring that if his object of affection didn’t want him, she was obviously mad. Regina’s hand was in the air, ready to do just a little something harmless like set the seat of his pants on fire when Snow managed to regain her focus.

 

“I hope they find their true loves,” she sighed. “I met one of them last night, but I lost her, too. She’s very fast!”

 

Regina’s heart skipped a beat. So they had met.

 

“Oh? And you felt you had time to stop and chit-chat when you should have been working on breaking the curse?” Regina sneered, trying to keep up appearances.

 

“I was! I had— I mean, I know where to find some of the ingredients now,” Snow fibbed, as Regina knew from the story. She decided to let it slide for now.

 

“And this woman you met, how do you know she’s the same one of which the prince speaks?” Regina asked, sounding more eager that she would have liked.

 

“She was running from the king’s festival. The prince tried to court her, but she fled.” Snow’s eyes were bright as if she were telling a juicy secret. “She seemed doubtful that he could love her so quickly, but I knew I was right! He does! And I know she’ll realize she loves him. It’s all so romantic.”

 

“Sure, running from unwanted advances is the fairy tale every girl dreams of,” Regina said, her tone like acid.

 

“A fairy what?” said Snow.

 

“It’s not important. Tell me, what did this maiden look like?” Regina asked.

 

“Why does that matter?” Snow asked infuriatingly.

 

“That’s none of your concern!” Regina pointed a wrinkled, knobby finger threateningly. “Just tell me.”

 

“Well, her gown was breathtaking,” Snow said hesitantly, making no mention of her footwear, “and her golden hair shone in the moonlight.” She paused in thought. “She may be from an exotic land because she had a rather unusual way of speaking. Do you know what it means to ‘slow one’s roll?’”

 

Regina couldn’t hide her ear-to-ear grin.

 

“Yes, I believe I do. But that’s not for you to know,” she said, delighted. “You would do best to pay attention to what I say next, if you want your chance at a child.” Snow stared at her with wide, unblinking eyes. “I’d suggest you pay attention to the idio— young men just there. You never know what information you may become privy to.”

 

Snow’s brow furrowed in confusion, but Regina gestured irritably at the princes and turned to leave Snow to it. As Regina quietly eased around to hide closer to Robin, she heard Lancelot mention climbing a rope made of yellow hair, and crossed her fingers that Snow would take that cue to go trick Zelena into letting her braid down for a quick snip. Despite her flowery, naive ideas about romance, Snow did seem to be the more clever of the bakers.

 

Now she just had to wait for the imbecile prince and his footman to lead her to the damned palace.

 

___________________

  
  


This time, Emma made sure to run in the direction she vaguely knew would get her back “home” at the end of the night. Now, sitting on a garden wall at the back of the manor, she stared up at what should be a breathtaking night sky. She’d taken the stars for granted back in her world, where she could have spent more time wishing on them with Henry or dining under them with Regina.

 

 _Here we go again with that._ _You know who else likes stars? Your boyfriend, Hook. He uses them to, like, drive his ship. Why don’t you reminisce about that?_

 

Night two of the festival hadn’t been an easy one. Prince Hook had quickly spotted her snooping around the castle hallways. (Pulling on sconces and suits of armor to find a secret sorcerer’s lair had seemed like a good idea at the time.) She’d gotten stuck in another conversation with him, about him.

 

She’d felt compelled to go to the ball as if an external force were subtly controlling her, but she figured it was just as well that she continue the charade. If the real Cinderella got zapped back into her body, Emma didn’t want to have screwed up any chances for what she may actually want.

 

Not that she was doing Cinderella any favors with her completely unsubtle eye rolls every time the prince opened his mouth, or when she “accidentally” elbowed him in the ribs when he leaned in close to look down her dress. She finally lost it, angrily hissing at him quietly (because decorum and all that) that women appreciated being  _ listened _ to, and how it was bullshit that he was the only one around here who was free to pick who he wanted to be with. There may have also been a comment about this joke of a festival being as pathetic as his dick was.  _ “And believe me, I know.”  _ His stunned, humiliated eyes were a bit more satisfying than they probably should have been.

 

So yeah, Cinderella may have her work cut out for her.

 

The one bright spot of the evening had been when she’d managed to step on Robin’s foot as he passed by to say something quietly to the prince.

 

Now, in the garden, a mouse scurried past her toward the grass. “Hey,” she called softly, and it paused long enough for her to fish a half-eaten cookie from her little satin pouch and toss a chunk to the ground near her foot. The mouse came back and sniffed curiously before snarfing up the crumbs. “I wish I had the skills to make you a little T-shirt, buddy,” she said ruefully. “You could be my only pal in this stupid place.” It barely blinked up at her before turning and disappearing into the lush green lawn. So much for that relationship.

 

The stress of being pulled in two opposing directions in a world that wasn’t even hers was clearly getting to her, but how could it not? She was legitimately torn about affecting Cinderella’s future. She obviously wanted to leave as much room as possible for her to have what she was wishing for before Emma came along, but she also may never come back. And if Emma were stuck in this life, she was pretty fucking sure at this point that she didn’t want the prince to be a part of it. For starters, it was fairly transparent that he only considered her a token to be won; he hadn’t bothered to get to know her personality at all, but he’d made sure she understood how lucky his chosen bride would be, what with his wealth and strength and good looks.

 

And yeah, despite the royalty thing, it was becoming difficult to think of her Hook separately from this one, because his gross, aggressive behavior was a hair too familiar. Perhaps she’d become conditioned to it back home, but here it made her stomach turn. This whole messed up experience was kind of a gift in its own way, letting her go back in time, observe her relationship from the outside. What she saw, and the feelings it brought up, were uncomfortable to sit with. Earlier today — when she was cleaning up a mess that had been the result of Ursula painting a portrait of Cruella that may have featured prominent dog ears — her mind kept returning to what she would say to Cinderella if she could talk to her. It pained her to admit that she would feel compelled to warn her to watch for controlling behavior and to not lose sight of herself. A relationship shouldn’t be about trying to fit into a box that one person designed. A healthy one would foster growth, not conformity. If she were being very, very honest, Emma’s shoulders felt lighter being away from Hook. She was sure it wasn’t just because of temporarily escaping the final battle, because she truly believed she and her family would figure out how to conquer it, terrifying as it was. No, it was definitely the relief of being freed from a relationship she hadn’t recognized she’d needed out of so badly.

 

Why hadn’t she listened to Regina in the Underworld? Maybe she did deserve better. Probably not the best, who happened to be the person dishing out advice at the time, but better.

 

So here she sat, unclear what to do, just knowing she was tired of being chased. And it wasn’t even just Prince Hook. Her characteristically persistent but possibly insane mother had found her again (wearing a boa that looked to be made of human hair, no less) and was still intent on stealing her shoes.  _ Seriously, what the fuck? _

 

For the time being, these shoes had to stay with Cinderella, even if Emma was their current occupant. It was no secret, according to the story, what would happen if one accidentally fell into the prince’s hands. That was not a commitment she was willing to make today.

 

Eager to avoid the chaos that was her drunken stepsisters, Emma wandered toward the back door to the manor. She was almost to the house when movement in the distance caught her eye. Upon a closer look, Emma’s breath caught. A lone apple tree stood swaying gently in a clearing, moonlight bouncing off the shiny fruit it bore. A wave of homesickness and heartache had Emma nearly crumbling where she stood, but she managed instead to make her way to the tree. She plucked the biggest apple she could reach and clutched it to her chest as she ran back to the house. With a new sense of determination awakened within her, she stared at the fruit on her bedside table until she drifted off to sleep.

 

______________________

  
  


Why Regina continued to find herself witnessing these mind-numbing bicker sessions, she couldn’t say. Something in this realm clearly wanted her to focus on the curse and not Emma. It must explain why she’d lost Hook and Robin when pursuing them earlier. Perhaps this was just the role she had to remain faithful to.

 

“But you lost the cow!” David was grumbling. “We’re lucky I found it.”

 

“But I also figured out where to find the hair,” Snow said, waving her boa in his face.

 

“It really was quite cunning what she did, you have to admit,” Regina interjected, earning an awkward preen from Snow, who clearly wasn’t sure show she felt about being defended by a witch. “If I’m not mistaken, you only have that cow because a strange old man appeared out of nowhere and gave it to you.” She smirked as Snow gaped at David, who was suddenly very fascinated by his shoes.

 

It made Regina miss the real Snow, who had become an unlikely friend, one who sometimes seemed to have insight into Regina that even she herself didn’t. 

 

Before she could get far too sentimental for her liking, Henry ran up to the group. They all turned a quizzical eye to the rather agitated chicken in his arms.

 

“Look, I’ve brought you this hen in exchange for Milky White!” he exclaimed breathlessly.

 

Surprising no one, David furrowed a confused brow and looked at the hen. “Why would I want a chicken?”

 

“Why do you want a cow?” Henry retorted. “Besides, this is no ordinary chicken. She lays golden eggs!”

 

“Well, that sounds like something far too valuable to trade for a silly old cow,” Snow laughed nervously, a borderline maniacal look in her eye. “Surely you should take it home to your mother.”

 

“I can go back to find her something else later. There was loads of stuff just lying there, free for the taking. Right now I just want my friend back!”

 

“Go back?” Regina interrupted. “You got this from a giant’s lair, did you not?”

 

Henry stared at her, wide-eyed, apparently just noticing she was there. After Regina prodded him along with impatiently raised eyebrows, he bobbed his head nervously. “There was lots of really big stuff, so maybe.”

 

“Strange that it was left unprotected for you to grab without consequence…” she murmured, more to herself than the boy. “But no matter. Don’t you think it wise to stay down here?”

 

“I will soon, but I just want to get—”

 

He was cut off by the thud of a very stiff cow falling over dead.

 

“Nooo!” Screamed the trio, and Regina inwardly lamented having to watch her son — no, this strange boy — mourn his beloved pet. Painful as it might be right now, this was simply how the story must go.

 

Baker David hugged his Snow as she cried into his shoulder. “We’ll find another one tomorrow,” he promised with unmasked doubt in his voice. They turned and wandered slowly back toward their house, chatting quietly.

 

Regina moved closer to where Jack-Henry was crouched on the ground, crying over the dead cow.

 

“I’m sorry for your loss, truly,” she said. He sniffed and looked at her with heartbroken and questioning eyes. It was all she could do not to take him in her arms. She cleared her throat roughly and changed topics. “So what’s so special about that land up there?” 

 

Henry sniffed. “It’s just… different. I can think about who I want to be and what I want to do instead of just what my mom says I have to. I can have a real adventure.”

 

“And what about the giants? Don’t you find them at all dangerous?” Regina asked.

 

“But they weren’t there,” he shrugged, stroking Milky White’s neck absently.

 

Another major difference from the musical. Why would they hide and leave their treasure in plain sight? Maybe they’d abandoned their home, or had been attacked? Best not to assume they weren’t still a problem, though.

 

“He— Jack, I need you to listen to me, for your own protection.” He blinked at her, remaining silent. “Don’t go back up the beanstalk. Nothing good will come of it.” She knew she was breaking her own rule of not disrupting the story, but she couldn’t abide watching this boy run straight into danger. 

 

His brow furrowed as he stood to face her. “But there’s treasure — that’s really good for my family! And I didn’t get to see everything yet. There aren’t any giants. You don’t know what you’re talking about!”

 

“I know it’s exciting. I understand the lure of something new.” She ached a little, looking into such defiant, familiar eyes that were and were not her son’s. “You have a brave, curious heart. But there’s plenty to explore here in these woods. There’s so much to this world you still don’t know.”

 

He opened his mouth to speak again, but suddenly the ground beneath them shook with two swift quakes. He looked at her, alarmed.

 

“How often do those happen?” she asked.

 

“I’ve never felt them before yesterday,” he said.

 

“Hmm,” she paused briefly. “Why don’t you go home to your mother, make sure she’s safe after those quakes?” she said. “I’ll take care of the cow.” He looked somberly at the animal one last time. “And listen!” She abandoned her previous tactic of compassion and channeled her best old crone, grabbing him by the chin. “Stay out of the sky! For your own good!” He jerked away, scowling, and she watched him trudge off in the direction of his house.

 

And then the pieces clicked into place.  _ Dammit _ , why hadn’t she put it together before? The giantess from Act II must already be down here; that was the only explanation for the earthquakes. But she was early — why? Something about the changes to the story left Regina feeling uneasy, despite Ruby’s happy ending. If she couldn’t predict everything that would happen, she may never find Emma and get them the hell out. Before, she’d thought as long as they were gone before the second act, they’d be safe. But now… 

 

She made her way back home but was unable to sleep as the second midnight came and went.

  
  



	3. Ever After?

Emma sat at a worn, uneven table in the corner of her dank room. Her prized apple kept her company (which meant she was seriously losing it), and she’d laid out a piece of parchment, ink, and a quill that she’d found upstairs. If Harry Potter could learn to write with one of these things, so could she.

 

This was not her first choice of activities for the day. After dressing Ursula and Cruella for a riding excursion (during which her pesky comb  _ may _ have managed to yank on an astonishing number of tangles), she attempted to head off into the woods to form a new plan. She knew magic was in this realm because a) the ghost of Cinderella’s mom was up a tree somewhere designing outfits Scarlett O’Hara would find too frilly, and b) a witch had cursed Snow’s lookalike with, at the very minimum, a compulsive shoe obsession. All Emma had to do was hunt down someone who could hook her up with a little abracadabra.

 

But no matter which way she set out, she wound up back at the manor a short while later. Something — probably somebody’s fucking  _ magic _ — was definitely keeping her here.

 

So here she sat, new task at hand. Archie had once told her that writing a letter to someone could help her sort out her feelings, even if she never gave it to them. She obviously had some things to address with Hook, so she figured no time like the present.

 

Emma’d had every intention of writing “Dear Killian,” but “Dear Regina” stared back up at her. She glanced at the apple, sighed, and began to write, trying to avoid getting splinters in her hand as she carefully worked the quill across the paper.

 

_ Dear Regina, _

_  
_ _ I don’t think you’ll ever see this, but I wanted to say I’m sorry. _

 

_ I wish things were different between us. Wishing got me into this mess, so I probably shouldn’t even being saying this, but I’m already here now, so what’s the worst that can happen? _

 

_ I wish I hadn’t been so stupid that I made the wrong choice when maybe there was still a chance that we could… _

 

_ I can’t even say it. It hurts too much right now. I’m stuck in this place where everyone has the same opinion on what I should want, even if they don’t all think I should get to have it (oh my god, you should see what Cruella and Ursula wear here, you would laugh so hard). Anyway, I hate that it feels a little like how I feel at home sometimes. _

 

_ Except with you. You don’t think I should settle. And I should have listened to you. It’s so obvious here that Cinderella deserves better, so why couldn’t I accept that I might, too? That maybe I’m worth it? _

 

_ I’m scared, Regina. I don’t think I can deal if I can’t see anyone I love ever again. What if I never get to hug Henry or my dad again, or my mom never gives me any more terrible things she knitted? What if I never get to see you? How am I supposed to let you go? There are so many things I’d miss, I don’t even know where to start. I love when you try to hide a smile but you can’t, or even better when you don’t try to hide it and it’s like the sun. I love when I say something that makes it look like your head is about to explode. I love the way you and Henry make the same face at the same time. I love the way you’ve let me into your lives, even though I was never supposed to be in the picture. I love that when you’re by my side, it feels like a puzzle piece just clicked into place. _

 

_ There are so many things I love about you, and I’ll probably never get to tell you. _

 

_ But I’m hoping if you find me, and I really think you’re the only person who can, I won’t chicken out again. I hope I can say the words I had the chance to say so many times before and didn’t. Even if you don’t say them back, or mean them a different way, I can take it. I just wish more than anything that you could know my heart is yours. _

 

_ Always, _

_ Emma _

 

Emma nodded to herself, surprised at the amount of relief she felt. She wasn’t always great at writing what was in her head; there were lots of splotches where she’d scratched stuff out and tried again. But she was proud of herself for doing it, and that she was able to admit some things she hadn’t before.

 

She carefully folded the note and put in in her pouch. It was time for her to get ready for the last ball she hoped she’d ever attend.

 

______________________

  
  


Once again, Regina had begun the day by crawling groggily out of bed, having barely slept. She ate some fruit and made her way back out into the woods giving considerably fewer fucks about helping the Charming Bakers. Today she had bigger things to focus on, literally and otherwise. She didn’t care if her fireballs would feel like ant bites to a giant, she’d face whoever she needed to as long as she found Emma. 

 

And since she’d already interfered with the plot, why stop now? So she headed to fix one brief thing on her way to search for the palace.

 

The climb up the braid was so much more brutal without the adrenaline of potentially seeing Emma, but Regina thought it was worth it.

 

Zelena was sitting on a small sofa waiting for her with a determined look on her face. Regina had barely gotten out a hello before she launched right in. “Mother, I think it’s time you let me go. I’m not a child! You can’t protect me forever. I’ve—”

 

“I know.” Regina’s face was kind as she moved to sit next to Zelena and took her hands gently.

 

“You… you know about the prince?” Disbelief with a hint of fear crossed Zelena’s face, but she seemed somewhat comforted by Regina’s body language.

 

“I know that despite my desire to shield you from the many evils out in the world, I haven’t treated you very lovingly. So I’ve decided you deserve to go explore it for yourself. And if you have a companion for your journey, I’d love to hear about them.”

 

Now Zelena looked positively flabbergasted, and Regina’s heart went out to her for being neglected for so long that she couldn’t even fathom being treated with compassion or generosity — she was all too familiar with that feeling. She couldn’t separate this woman from her sister in her mind, and seeing the power this simple act had on her reinforced Regina’s desire to mend the relationship she hoped they could still have in Storybrooke.

 

Zelena tentatively told Regina a bit about her hair-climbing beau. She was absolutely smitten, and Regina supposed it made sense she could be taken with a preening imbecile, given he was the only other person she’d ever met. Regina ended up staying much longer than she intended, even conjuring up lunch for them. It was just such a relief to sit with someone who was now content and free of struggle in this place. It reinvigorated her hope more than she realized she’d needed. But she eventually felt a sense of urgency creeping in.

 

And as luck would have it, it was at about that time that Lancelot’s voice echoed up from below. “Rapunzel, let down your hair!”

 

But before Zelena could comply, Regina said, “Allow me.” And then she magicked off Zelena’s braid, leaving behind her normal silky waves.

 

This did not go over well. “What have you done!?” Tears sprang to Zelena’s eyes as she backed away, betrayed. “Why did I ever trust you?”

 

“Wait, it’s okay!” Regina shook her head, regretting her timing. “Here,” she said, and suddenly they were poofed onto the ground. “I just thought the hair might, you know, slow you down.” She smiled, shrugging.

 

Zelena looked at her wide-eyed, and then took in her surroundings. She bent in wonder to feel the grass, spun around to look at the trees and the clouds, and then she spotted Lancelot. She ran into his embrace; Regina had to look away when they began to make out like teenagers.

 

“Thank you, Mother!” she heard Zelena call, and turned to see the couple heading over to her.

 

“You’re welcome, dear,” she answered. “But I’d advise you to travel far from this place as quickly as you can. There have been rumblings of danger coming, and I want you to have your best chance. Especially if you plan to start a family soon,” she said knowingly. Zelena turned beet red, while her ridiculous lover simply puffed out his chest. Regina surprised herself by stepping forward to give Zelena a long hug. Zelena smiled brightly, and the two headed off in the direction the sun would be setting in a few short hours. Regina nodded to herself, crossing her fingers that by releasing Zelena to be happy with her prince (and hopefully still have twins) instead of banishing her to the desert, she’d prevented Rapunzel’s descent into madness that usually occurred in the second act. With any luck, Zelena would never come back here and would stay out of the way of the giant’s feet. Based on the now familiar movement of the ground beneath her feet, she suspected she’d done enough to change her story.

 

______________________

  
  


The sun had just barely dropped behind the trees when Emma broke free of the castle this time, her chest tight with worry from the choice she’d just made. She’d ruined Cinderella’s last chance with the prince, but at this point she just couldn’t accept the risk of spending her own future with that pervy douchebag.

 

He seemed to have completely forgotten her outburst from the previous evening. In fact, when he saw her, he had the gall to saunter over and wrap an arm around her waist, lean in, and whisper that her passionate speech only confirmed that he’d been right about her all along and knew exactly whom he wanted. Then he gave her an exaggerated wink, and in the split second he glanced away to take a brief survey of the room, she ran.

 

But halfway down the stairs, her foot somehow got stuck and she found herself sprawled on the ground, ass in the air and a mountain of fabric piled atop her head. She untangled herself and managed to stand, miraculously unharmed besides a scraped knee and bruised pride.

 

It was then she noticed her shoe sparkling in the torchlight and still standing upright on a step just above her, surrounded by a black, oily substance.

 

_ What the hell? _ She reached for the shoe and failed to yank it free of the goo. It was neatly spread across the whole step, but no others, indicating it was most likely there on purpose.

 

Perhaps to catch a fleeing guest.

 

_ Nice try, buddy _ . It wasn’t like she was going to just stand there reevaluating her choices until he showed up. And was this supposed to be some kind of romantic gesture to tell their grandchildren about? Because it was actually pretty creepy and unfair. The Disney Cinderella wasn’t trapped into leaving her shoe behind.

 

No time to waste trying to pry the shoe up; she’d have to leave it. But this just confirmed what she’d been considering all day: she’d have to make a real run for it. She couldn’t go “home” and wait around for someone to swoop in and discover her freakishly narrow foot size. Besides, it was clear she wasn’t getting any closer to finding her way to Storybrooke by sticking around here. There was the small matter of that strange force that seemed to keep her around. But there  _ had _ to be something magical she’d missed, something that could help her find her way out.

 

A short time later, Emma was making her way through the woods barefoot when she caught a glimpse of a yellow apron through the trees.

 

“Hey! Um…” What was her name? “Hey!” Emma jogged uncomfortably over sticks and brush to catch up to Not Quite Snow.

 

“Oh, hi,” Snow said with far less pep than usual.

 

“I’m glad I ran into you,” Emma said, winded and scrunching her face up as she pulled a pebble from where it had lodged in her foot. “I wanted to ask you about that curse you’re trying to break.”

 

“How valuable is the information to you?” Snow asked carefully, eyeing the shoe in Emma’s hand.

 

“I’m not sure?” Emma answered truthfully. “I just…” she sighed, somewhat defeated. “I’ve been hoping to find someone magical, but I don’t even know if they can help me.”

 

“Oh, she wouldn’t help you,” Snow frowned. “It’s a curse, remember? They’re inherently terrible.”

 

“Not always,” Emma said to herself with a wistful smile. “Maybe I could just ask her some questions…”

 

“She does seem slightly more personable in the last couple of days,” Snow said thoughtfully, and the earth rumbled slightly beneath their feet. Unperturbed, she continued. “I guess it might be worth a shot. I can tell you where you might find her… but you have to promise to wait until tomorrow! I have business with her today, and she can’t be distracted.” She paused meaningfully. “And it’ll cost you your shoe.”

 

Emma’s brow furrowed as she considered the offer. She didn’t really need it anymore.

 

“I’ll even give you something else, as a bonus,” Snow offered quickly. Her desperation was making a strong appearance again. She dug into her pocket. “Take this bean. It’s magic!”

 

Emma thought her eyes might pop out of her head, and her heart nearly stopped. “You’ve… had magic this whole time?”

 

“I didn’t know you needed it,” Snow huffed.

 

Emma handed over the shoe without question and took the bean. It looked different than the ones she’d seen before, just a simple green like a lima bean. Still, her body buzzed with hope for the first time in three days as she closed her fingers around it. It wouldn’t hurt to try.

 

Snow, meanwhile, was holding the slipper reverently, her eyes brimming with tears. “A slipper as pure as gold.”

 

Emma could barely hear what Snow was whispering to herself. “Um, well good luck with your curse,” she said, watching her with eyebrows slightly raised.

 

“Yes! Thank you, yes!” Snow turned on her heel, eager to get away all of a sudden. As an afterthought, she turned back and waved. “Good luck with your true love!”

 

“Thanks,” Emma muttered to herself. “I need it.”

 

She opened her palm, and stared at what she hoped was her ticket out of here. If this didn’t work, true love would be the least of her worries. She held her breath and squeezed her eyes tight as if she could will all of her non-existent magic into the little bean. She swung her arm back, ready to let it fly—

 

“Wait!” a voice cried through the trees. Startled, Emma almost dropped the bean, but she managed to grasp it just in time. She’d know that voice anywhere, but realizing it belonged to a lookalike twisted her heart in her chest. She looked up to see an odd version of Regina hunched over and awkwardly using a staff to hurry toward her.

 

“Stay back!” Emma yelled. “I know who you are!”

 

“You do?” the witch answered in shock.

 

“You cursed my— someone I know,” Emma said cautiously, as the Hunchback Regina continued to approach more slowly. “But I’ll be damned if I let you get to me too, lady.” She noticed she’d unconsciously moved her hand with the bean slightly behind her back.

 

The witch paused and leveled Emma with the most Regina-y of stares. “Did that someone happen to look like your mother? Also known as Snow White?” asked the witch with the tiniest glint in her eye.

 

“What? How did you…?”

 

“Because Emma,” said the witch, and Emma’s blood ran cold at the use of her name. “I’m Regina.”

 

____________________

  
  


Regina watched as Emma’s face shifted from disbelief to wariness to all-out anger.

 

“I don’t know how you know my name or what kind of game you’re playing, but you’re sure as fuck not Regina,” Emma spat out.

 

“How do you know?” Regina couldn’t resist asking.

 

“You mean besides the fact that Regina wouldn’t be caught dead in that dusty old dog blanket of a cloak?” Emma said dryly. Regina fought back a smile. “How about because she would never curse those innocent people?”

 

Warmth radiated through Regina. “Oh?” she said around the lump that had risen in her throat. “I once cursed a whole town.” She took a step forward. “And I tried to put a sleeping curse on an infuriating sheriff.” Step. Emma’s eyes were narrowed, but something held her where she stood. “Then I almost blew up said town.“ Step. “And I ripped the heart out of a Lost Boy.” Two steps, leaving only about six feet between them. “I’m really quite despicable.” Step. “But I’ve yet to figure out how to rid the world of a flea-bitten pirate— oof!”

 

Arms were suddenly wrapped tightly around her. “That last one helped save our son’s life,” was mumbled against her ear.

 

“Yes, well…” Regina tentatively placed her bony arms loosely around Emma’s waist.  _ Of course _ the first time she had the opportunity to even vaguely hold this woman she was at the mercy of someone else’s body. “I’m still very formidable.”

 

“But in a good way,” Emma stepped back and looked into Regina’s eyes. Regina held her breath and offered a tiny smile. 

 

“I could ask a million questions,” Emma continued, “and they’d definitely start with this…  _ fashion statement _ you’ve got going on,” she smirked, sweeping a hand in front of Regina’s body. “But why don’t we wait until we’re back home?” She held up the bean in her palm.

 

“You’re one to talk, Princess Glitterbomb. Hiding your gun under all those ruffles?”

 

“Wouldn’t you like to know,” Emma fired back, quickly followed by a flush rising in her cheeks. “Anyway,” she stepped back, “let’s blow this joint.”

 

“About that…” Regina said. “I think it may be a good idea to stay just a bit longer. I have some business to wrap up.”

 

“Business?” Emma’s eyebrows nearly hit the clouds.

 

“Well it’s not exactly mine, per se. Do you recognize where we are?” Regina asked.

 

“No, should I? Are we in part of the Enchanted Forest?” Emma looked around as if trying to place something she knew.

 

“It’s the one from a stage musical called ‘Into the Woods.’ Are you familiar?”

 

Emma shrugged. “Not exactly a big musical fan.”

 

“You really should broaden your horizons,” Regina said pointedly before her face turned soft. “It was one of Henry’s favorites as a child. I only let him watch the first act, of course. The second is a bloodbath.” Emma’s forehead wrinkled in surprise. “Which brings me to my point. The witch I’ve been forced to inhabit did in fact enact a curse on your parents’ rather unfortunate doppelgangers. I’d like to help them break it before I go.”

 

“So  _ despicable _ ,” Emma interjected, an easy smile spreading across her face. It flustered Regina on multiple levels.

 

“They want a baby,” she huffed in response. “I simply don’t believe they deserve to have their chances ruined by a twisted old crone out for vengeance.”

 

“That doesn’t sound familiar at all,” Emma smirked as she tucked the bean into the little satin pouch she’d been carrying around.

 

“I swear I will take that bean and leave you here if you so much as consider using the word ‘crone’ anywhere remotely near my name in the same sentence.”

 

Emma let out a full-on belly laugh. “I missed you,” she said breathlessly, and well, Regina didn’t know what to do with  _ that _ besides smile until her withered cheeks felt like they would crack. She paused, realizing something.

 

“Emma, am I an ugly old woman?” she asked suddenly.

 

Emma looked at her like she was delusional. “I mean, I didn’t think I was allowed to bring up the old thing, but Regina, you’re so far from ugly I don’t think there’s even a word for it.”

 

Regina was so relieved (and flattered) that she dismissed the age comment. “But can you see my real face? Because I can see yours.” She wasn’t too proud to admit to herself that the idea of Emma seeing her as a decrepit old woman had been rather disappointing.

 

A look of realization crossed Emma’s features. “You see me and not Ashley! No wonder you knew who I was.”

 

“Well, that and I began to feel a distinct pain in my posterior when I came into your general vicinity.” Emma rolled her eyes, but the upturned corners of her mouth betrayed her true feelings. Regina paused, openly taking in Emma’s beautiful features. “It’s so good to see you,” she said softly. Emma’s face lit up, causing a distinct flutter in Regina’s chest. “And it seems you have better luck than me. Everyone else sees me as a wart-ridden hag.”

 

Emma laughed again but quickly stopped when she received a patented Regina Glare. 

“Anyway, something strange is happening,” Regina continued. “Certain parts of the story seem to be changing, and I’m not sure if we have as much time as I originally thought. Have you experienced any earthquakes?”

 

“Yeah, a couple small ones,” Emma nodded, thinking back. “Nothing major, just when I was out in the woods trying to find a path away from all the festival shit.”

 

“Precisely. I believe they’re coinciding with events that differ from the musical’s plot. Earthquakes in the show occur when a widowed giant comes to wreak havoc in Act II. Did you notice that the bean you have doesn’t look exactly like a portal bean?” Emma’s eyebrows furrowed. “I think it would grow a beanstalk to get to the giants’ home. But we’ll have to worry about that later. My point now is she shouldn’t already be down here. I’m wondering how it’s all connected.”

 

“Okay, well then let’s break this spell and get the hell out of here. So we may have to fight a giant. That’s… probably doable.” She smiled her goofy, confident smile, and Regina knew she’d follow her anywhere. “So which way to my parents? Do you know how to—”

 

“There you are, at last!” came a shout from just behind Emma. Regina watched her eyes darken as she turned to face that arrogant moron of a pirate prince Regina had had the displeasure of seeing near the tower yesterday. She started forward, readying a fireball, when Emma surged ahead and punched Hook in the face. Hard.

 

________________________

  
  


Emma flexed her fingers in an attempt to dampen the pain from colliding with that asshole’s nose. She grinned at his stunned expression as he lay sprawled on the ground, grabbing his face frantically.

 

“ _ That’s _ for trying to trap women instead giving them a  _ choice _ !” she growled at him from above. She felt movement beside her, and there was Regina, leaning over Prince Hook and not even attempting to hide her glee.

 

“It’s a good look on him,” she said nonchalantly. Emma raised an eyebrow, and Regina shrugged.

 

“I wasn’t trying to trap you,” Hook mumbled from the ground. “I mean, I was, but only because I knew you’d flee before I could properly thank you.”

 

“Thank me? For what, being another set of tits and ass forced to parade around for your entertainment? I hope every woman at that festival comes to her senses and you’re left with perpetual blue balls for the rest of your life.” Emma glanced at Regina, whose eyebrows were raised in surprise while her mouth formed an amused “O.”

 

Hook rose to his feet, holding out a hand to show he was giving her a wide berth, and his eyes looked surprisingly… remorseful? “My lady,” he began, and Emma couldn’t ignore the way she cringed inwardly, thinking that voice was about to call her “love.” “I apologize for my untoward behavior. I was simply trying to play a part.” He chuckled nervously. “I dare say I oversold it a bit. You seemed the perfect choice for a beautiful woman I could be in love with.”

 

“In  _ lust _ , more like,” Emma grumbled.

 

“That came through, did it?” Hook looked momentarily proud. “I wasn’t honestly sure if I should be looking at your breasts more, or if I should direct my admiration to your hips.”

 

“I’m going to direct my admiration to your nether regions via  _ fireball _ if you don’t slither away back to your castle this instant,” Regina growled, flames already coming alive at her fingertips.

 

“No please, you must understand! You set me free to be with the one I truly love.” Hook cried. “My father has always made his expectations clear that I’m to marry the most beautiful woman in the land, even if my heart belonged elsewhere. I never expected anyone to reject my advances — I mean look at me — but you kept running away as if you had a choice in whom you were to be with. I decided to consider it a signal that I, too, might have that power. So I’ve chosen to do it. You’ve given me the courage to be with my true love, and I will be forever in your debt.”

 

Emma looked over to see Regina staring at him with as much utter bewilderment as she felt. She opened her mouth in an attempt to form some kind of response when the sound of rustling leaves drew her attention, and then Footman Robin burst through the trees. “You found her, my lord,” he said, his breath ragged.

 

“I did indeed. Our guiding star.” He turned to embrace Robin in a fierce hug, then took his face in his hands and began kissing him fervently.

 

Regina’s jaw dropped, and Emma felt her own eyes bulging. This was… surreal didn’t even come close. It took a few seconds to get past the shock before Emma managed to recover her ability to speak.

 

“Geez, get a room, or a cottage or whatever,” Emma muttered loudly. Regina tried to disguise a strangled, nervous laugh as a cough. The men broke apart, grinning stupidly at each other.

 

“Thank you, my lady,” Robin said, and the two turned and strode away hand in hand.

 

Regina turned to Emma with eyebrows still skyward. “So… that happened,” Emma said, instinctively reaching to stick her hands in her back pockets and finding only fluff.

 

“Indeed,” Regina nodded. Emma didn’t think she could have looked more bewildered if they’d seen Leroy making out with Doc.

 

“You know what, those tools deserve each other.” Emma nodded a bit too forcefully, her jaw set. “Let’s just chalk that up to the most awkward thing we are guaranteed to ever see in our lives and never speak of it again.”

 

‘Sounds good,” Regina agreed. A sudden quake beneath their feet brought a swift change to the mood. “We should get going,” she added firmly.

 

“Lead the way.”

 

_________________________

  
  


The edge of the village was just up ahead. Emma and Regina had walked in silence with Regina leading the way along a narrow, winding path through the forest. When the trees began to thin, Emma caught up to walk alongside her.

 

“How did you find me, anyway?”

 

Regina unconsciously slowed her steps, causing Emma to stop and come to face her. Their eyes locked for a long, intoxicating moment. Regina wasn’t sure why she’d paused — it wasn’t supposed to be a big deal, right? She went to rescue Emma just like anyone would do.  _ No _ , she corrected herself. Emma being sent to another realm was like having a vital part of her ripped away. She couldn’t  _ not _ go after her. And right here, right now, Regina didn’t want to hide or shy away from that anymore. She looked at Emma with an honest, open gaze and said simply, “I wished to be where you were.” She could have said so much more, but that was it in a nutshell.

 

A soft radiance began at Emma’s eyes and spread quickly across her face until her lips broke into the type of glowing, carefree smile that had been all but absent in recent memory. Regina had all too rarely felt such warmth directed at her.

 

“Thank you,” Emma said, holding her gaze. “I’m glad it was you.”

 

Both of their cheeks flushed, and Regina opened her mouth to say something else when she was nearly knocked over by a cow running by, leaving a faint white cloud in its wake. David sprinted past and caught the animal. He guided it back toward them and told Regina excitedly, “We have all the ingredients!”

 

Snow hurried up to join them and said “We’re ready!”

 

Regina asked them to present their ingredients, and when they did, she raised her eyebrow significantly at David. “This cow seems to be covered in something.” She swiped her hand over its fur and held up a white finger. 

 

David’s eyes were glued to the ground. “You didn’t say it had to be white all on its own,” he mumbled.

 

Regina rolled her eyes while Emma looked at him with a cross between disbelief and pity. Regina was about to chide him when his wife went over and gave him the lightest, most Snow White-esque of smacks to the head. “I told you we couldn’t fool a witch! Now we barely have any time left!” She was on the verge of tears, and if Regina didn’t already know what was about to transpire, she would have felt a surge of sympathy.

 

But she did know.

 

“Enough! Fortunately for you, whether or not you deserve it, I have a solution.” She flicked her wrist, and Milky White appeared, alive and well. “You’re welcome,” she added smugly.

 

“Oh my— wait, couldn’t you have done that before?” Snow boldly turned to Regina in frustration, but Regina stood her ground.

 

“If you’d rather not receive my help, you’re welcome to keep looking,” she said, almost bored. She glanced over at Emma in time to catch her rolling her eyes with a smirk. Emma really needed to learn to embrace theatrics.

 

“No, this is good,” David interjected quickly. “What do we do now?”

 

“Now, you feed the other ingredients to the cow.”

 

____________________

  
  


Emma wasn’t sure she wanted to watch a cow try to swallow footwear. “Um, okay.” David held up the shoe, looking equally doubtful.

 

“Staring at it won’t give it a grassy flavor! Just give it to her!” Regina yelled, seemingly exasperated. Emma suspected Regina was hamming it up more than was strictly necessary. David’s eyebrows were deeply furrowed as he went over and held the shoe up for Milky White. She dutifully opened her mouth and chomped the slipper down. David’s face lit up, and he grabbed the cape from Snow. The cow swallowed it down, and a blonde rope of hair came after that.

 

“Now milk her,” Regina said, and Emma realized she was holding her breath in suspense. Except...

 

“Nothing’s happening,” David said, confused. “There’s no milk.”

 

“Impossible!” Regina shrieked loudly. Emma quirked a brow at her. “Where did you get these ingredients?”

 

“The cape is from the wolf-maiden, the slipper from her, I think?” David tilted his head toward Emma’s bare feet, and she nodded. “And the hair is from a damsel in a tower.”

 

“Noooooo!” Regina stomped around dramatically. “That’s my daughter’s hair. I’ve touched it! I can’t have touched any of the ingredients, you imbecile!”

 

“But you’re the one who told me to go there!” Snow crossed her arms accusingly. “Why—”

 

“You must find hair as yellow as  _ corn _ !” Regina shouted over her. “I told you it was obvious!” 

 

At this point Emma stepped into Regina’s space and said under her breath, “Um, is this really helping them?”

 

“I have to keep up the charade a little longer. You’ll see,” Regina said back. As if on cue, a man in ragged clothing appeared, a bunch of corn stalks obscuring his face. He made his way over to David and carefully placed the corn at his feet, revealing himself to be the lookalike of the man Emma knew as Albert Spencer.

 

“You’re the man with the cow!” David looked dumbfounded but excited all the same. “Why do you keep showing up with things I need?”

 

“Try the corn silk,” Albert replied, ignoring the question. David, appearing very confused, continued to stare at the man long enough that Snow brushed past him to pick up the corn.

 

“Obvious?” she said, pointing at Regina with an ear of corn. Regina shrugged nonchalantly, earning a glare from Snow. She went to the cow, who gulped down the corn silk greedily. David finally snapped out of it and came over to try milking again.

 

This time, it worked. Everyone whooped excitedly except Regina, whose face, Emma couldn’t help but notice, seemed suddenly nervous.

 

_________________________

  
  


Regina felt all eyes on her. “What’s next?” Snow asked excitedly.

 

“Next,” Regina cleared her throat, which was suddenly dry. “I drink it.” Out of the corner of her eye, Regina saw Emma wrinkle her nose slightly. Regina agreed with the sentiment, but that wasn’t her only hesitation.

 

Snow reached into the pocket of her apron and produced a measuring cup. “Will this help?” she asked far too cheerfully.

 

“Yes, thank you.” Regina took the cup but stayed put, staring at the milk bucket but not quite seeing it. In the background, she faintly heard David’s voice ask what she was waiting for, but she didn’t move. After a moment, she felt a gentle hand on her forearm and looked up to see Emma had come over without her realizing it.

 

“Hey,” Emma said softly. “What’s up?”

 

Regina sighed out a long breath and sought strength in Emma’s eyes. “If I do this, I’ll lose my powers.” It was something she’d been pushing out of her mind since she’d embarked on this quest to break the curse, choosing to deal with it only if everything actually came together. And now it had.

 

Emma’s eyes widened, then she nodded slowly, and Regina knew she understood. Losing her magic had not gone well for Regina in the past. Her breaths became shallower, her blood ran colder, her emotions felt duller; it was having part of her essence as a person being ripped away. Not to mention the panic that stirred from feeling vulnerable to danger.

 

“If we don’t find a way back, I’m not sure how we’ll fight the giant without magic,” Regina said quietly.

 

A stubborn fearlessness shone in Emma’s eyes, but there was something else there, too. Something tender that made Regina feel utterly safe and cared for.

 

Emma wrapped her hands around Regina’s. “I know this is a sucky choice to make, and I can’t imagine how hard it must be for you. But I know you want to break this curse. And I definitely know we can do this. Together.” Regina’s heart sped up with that single word. “Our magic isn’t the only thing that makes us powerful.”

 

Tears stung Regina’s eyes as she bobbed her head once. She reluctantly broke contact to walk over and fill the cup with milk. With a glance at the bakers, then at Emma, she tipped the cup back and drank.

 

Immediately, white smoke billowed up around her, and she felt a rush like she’d been thrown into a wind tunnel. It lasted just a few seconds, and when the air cleared, all she could see was Emma. “Hi,” she said with a dopey grin.

 

“Hi.” Regina took a step toward her. “So, um… still me?” Regina waved around her face with her hand.

 

Emma’s eyes narrowed. “Well...” she said seriously, stepping forward and tilting her head, examining her closely, pausing long enough to cause Regina’s heart rate to start to climb. “There is one major difference, but I’m really hoping you’ll try to work it into your Madam Mayor wardrobe.” Emma’s cheeky grin returned as her eyes drifted lower, and Regina looked down for the first time to see a young body in pale pink ( _ pink!) _ satin, and not much of it. The thinnest whisper of fabric cupped her breasts, and boning provided a snug fit down to her waist and over her hips, culminating in a deep “V” over… well. Thankfully, the long skirt wasn’t as tight. Still, hideous off-the-shoulder sleeves aside, the top half of her dress was undoubtedly closer to lingerie than anything she’d ever worn as the Evil Queen.

 

“Like what you see, do you?” She looked up in an attempt at confidence, despite the flush she could feel rising in her cheeks.

 

Emma stepped closer and leveled her with a steady, heated gaze. “Always.”

 

And Regina was just not prepared for  _ that _ . A tiny breath of air whooshed out of her involuntarily, and she just stood, immovable, staring back into those green eyes until there was a loud thud followed by a shriek behind her.

 

__________________________

  
  


Emma’s heart was racing because Regina was standing just inches from her in some kind of corset dress that Emma was more than a bit fond of, and she was staring at Emma like she’d said something  _ amazing _ , when Emma had just told the truth. Finally.

 

And then some kind of commotion broke the moment, because  _ oh right, we’re not alone, goddammit _ . They turned in unison to see what the commotion was and saw Albert sprawled on the ground looking very dead. 

 

“He just fell over!” David was kneeling next to the old man’s body, looking up at Regina. “Can you save him?”

 

“No, I can’t,” she said solemnly. They all looked at her in surprise. “I know, I know, the cow. But I no longer have my powers, and this is different anyway. He was only still living so that he might pay reparation to me for his theft.”

 

“Theft?” David said slowly. Emma was as lost as he was.

 

“Yes, of my magic beans,” Regina said. “That man was your father. He owed me a debt, and now that he has aided in breaking the curses on all of us, he has passed on.

 

“Wait, you were cursed too?” Snow asked.

 

“Of course! Did you think I was always so hideous?!” Regina said, exasperated. Emma thought her indignance was pretty cute, considering this didn’t really have anything to do with Regina at all.

 

“Well, you know, evil witch and all that…” Snow mumbled.

 

“So close-minded!” Regina swept her arms elegantly in front of herself like Vanna White. “This is what I looked like until my mother cursed me for letting the beans be stolen!”

 

Emma raised an eyebrow at that. “You can’t catch a break with mothers anywhere, can you?” That earned her a glare.

 

Regina turned back to David, who was still staring at Albert’s body in shock. “He wasn’t exactly Father of the Year, but I’m very sorry for your loss,” she said kindly. “However, this does mean you should now be able to have the child you’ve wished for.”

 

This seemed to grab David’s attention, and he stood to embrace Snow, who was practically vibrating with glee. Regina watched them fondly, and Emma watched Regina, her heart fluttering with adoration. Snow broke free and stepped forward. “Thank you.”

 

“For what, undoing the curse I placed on you in the first place?” Regina seemed a bit resigned, unwilling to take credit for her work to bring this to a close.

 

“Yes,” Snow said in that earnest way of hers that always kind of made Emma want to believe in whatever optimistic thing she was about to say. “There’s something different about you now. It’s almost as if you’ve learned to care in the last three days. Even with all the unnecessary screaming,” she raised a judging brow, “I think your heart is shining through.”

 

Regina squirmed, unable to hide her joy while clearly wanting to maintain her scary reputation. “Yes, well…” She glanced at Emma. “Every day is a chance to make a change. To better yourself, to be braver. Or perhaps to do something you should have done long ago.” 

 

Was Regina thinking of the same thing Emma was? Emma wouldn’t have thought it possible, but she could swear there was a hint of longing in Regina’s eyes.

 

“I truly wish you happiness,” Regina continued. “And I believe you can have it. But… be careful the things you say. Children will listen. And that means you have a wonderful opportunity to guide them to make the world a better place, but it may not always be easy. You have to do the work, too.”

 

Suddenly the earth shook like never before. Emma grabbed Regina before she could fall, and the bakers trembled in each others’ arms. Then a boy came sprinting out of the woods carrying a golden harp. Emma’s heart lurched as he got closer.

 

“Henr—” Regina grabbed her forearm and shook her head softly, knowingly. Emma’s stomach twisted as she fought her instinct to wrap this boy in her arms, this boy who could never replace her son but reminded her so much of him it physically hurt.

 

Everyone else seemed familiar with him as he skidded to a stop before them. “Giants!” he wheezed. “They’re coming!”

 

“Giants?  _ Plural _ ?” Regina looked alarmed, making Emma’s blood run cold. “Tell me exactly what happened. Did you chop down the beanstalk?”

 

“No, I just took the harp and was climbing back down when I saw these huge legs coming down behind me. When I got to the ground, I hid so I could see what it looked like, and when I saw there were two of them, I ran for it.”

 

Regina turned to Emma and said quietly, “He was supposed to have chopped the stalk, killing the husband and angering the wife. We’re going to have more work cut out for us than I originally thought.”

 

The earth was rattling again, the thundering noise getting louder and louder until Emma heard the crack of trees being swept aside. She turned to face the woods just as she heard Regina utter, “Oh my god.”

 

____________________

  
  


Regina’s head craned up and up as not one but two giant men approached them. Both were dressed in casual attire from the modern world: one had a trim gray beard and wore a sweater with a shirt collar peeking out, while the other wore glasses and a long-sleeve button down. They looked oddly out of place, size notwithstanding.

 

As the giants swiftly approached, Regina and Emma took a protective stance in front of the others. Without thinking, Regina took Emma’s hand and squeezed it. “I’ve got this,” she said, more to herself than Emma.

 

A second later, she was plucked from the ground and dangling from the fingertips of the gray-bearded giant. “ _ You _ ,” he said with disgust, his deep voice ringing painfully in her ears.

 

“Put me down, Sondheim!” Regina stared fiercely into his enormous eyes. Surprise briefly flashed across his face before anger returned, although he did at least place her back on the ground.

 

“You know these two?” Emma said under her breath.

 

“They wrote the musical. They’ve actually created some brilliant works together and even won a Pulitzer Prize. Maybe we can reason with them.”

 

“Authors,” Emma muttered before tilting her head up and yelling, “What is it with you people feeling entitled to punish everybody? Your characters, your audience, it makes no difference to you, huh? Let me guess, you want to squish us for wanting everyone to be happy?”

 

“Yes, actually,” said Giant James Lapine. “Your touchy-feely vibe is ruining the world we’ve created here.”

 

“Our touchy-feely… are you kidding me?” Emma put her hands on her hips. “You don’t know us. Touching isn’t even our thing. I mean, it kind of used to be, but things got complicated, and—”

 

“ _ Emma _ ,” Regina interrupted, not taking her eyes off the giants. “Not the time.”

 

“Right, sorry,” Emma said quickly, and Regina couldn’t stop the tug at the corners of her mouth.

 

“We’ve been separated almost the entire time we’ve been here. We certainly haven’t had any kind of vibe,” Regina glared at them.

 

Giant Sondheim screwed up his weathered face in displeasure. “That’s the worst part. You weren’t even together and you still managed to rip through the fabric of our stories everywhere you went. There must be some sort of magical tether between you that altered the atmosphere, allowing you to spread your disgusting hope around and give people ideas.”

 

“Why do you even think it was us that caused all this damage, and not just that you don’t know what you’re doing?” Emma rubbed the back of her neck as she looked skyward.

 

Regina’s eyes widened as Sondheim’s face turned a disturbing shade of purple, and she elbowed Emma gently. “Are you trying to anger the giants, dear?” More loudly, she said, “Don’t mind her, she thinks the Spice Girls are the most brilliant artists of the 20th century.”

 

“Hey, you want to talk about a  _ good _ musical? ‘Spice World’ is a completely underrated movie.”

 

“You’re hopeless,” Regina said with a grin before Lapine raised his colossal foot and gave the ground a thunderous shake.

 

“I don’t think you understand the gravity of the situation you’re in.” His ominous voice enveloped them, and Regina tried to ignore the chill that ran through her body. “It took time to cleverly weave these fairy tales together into a very specific theme, and you came along and fucked it all up in two days. I’m afraid you have to die.”

 

“Hey, we come from a land with our own jumbled fairy-tale problems, okay? And we all ended up more or less on the same page with our message.” Emma looked to Regina, who nodded in agreement. “I’m sure you can still work it out.”

 

“Yes, we didn’t come here intentionally, and we’d love to find a way home and be out of your way. Perhaps you could write it for us?” Regina knew it was unlikely they’d be willing to do them any favors, but it couldn’t hurt to ask.

 

Sondheim barked out a deafening laugh. Yeah, definitely a bad move to ask.

 

“Based on the little games you’ve been playing here, you deserve to be on the receiving end of our message just like everyone else. Don’t count on us writing you out free of penance.”

 

“And your message is that wishing has consequences, correct?” Regina attempted to keep her voice calm, hoping they may be able to talk the giants down from their tirade.

 

Lapine looked at her warily. “How do you know so much about this?”

 

“I don’t know if you’re familiar with the concept of other realms, but we come from one where your work is highly revered… by people with sophisticated taste,” she added, eyeing Emma cheekily and receiving a scowl in return. “And while I appreciate your efforts in contemplating the nature of unchecked desires, we have a different perspective that we were simply inviting people here to consider. We had no idea you were out there constructing this all the entire time. We thought it was just happening on its own.” Regina took a breath. “Perhaps you could hear us out.”

 

The giants exchanged a glance. “I can’t imagine you’ll change my mind, but I find your gall intriguing,” Sondheim said gruffly. “Continue.”

 

“Hey, if we’re going to keep this up, is there any way you could pop us up onto that boulder over there? This angle is a bitch,” Emma interrupted.

 

Lapine’s sigh nearly blew them over, but soon they found themselves at a level where it was much easier to continue their conversation.

 

“So I take it you were causing the earthquakes,” Regina started again.

 

“To you they were earthquakes, to us a simple fist to a table, a mere stomp of a foot.” Lapine paused, and a look of faint longing crossed his features. “And one time a swift kick to a particularly unsturdy cask of ale. Someone has a temper.”

 

“But you have to admit it was amusing to watch those insignificant twerps below topple this way and that with each passionate movement,” Sondheim smirked.

 

“I was thirsty, and my shoes got sticky.” 

 

While watching them squabble might be entertaining on any other day, Regina felt the need to reel the conversation back in. “These outbursts happened when we strayed from your narrative, yes?”

 

“Yes. We could even see when you figured it out and thought we might use it to our advantage,” said Lapine. “But it deterred you exactly once. You have some nerve, or else very little scares you.”

 

“It’s a bit of both,” Emma offered. “It can be really helpful or really inconvenient, depending on which side you’re on.” She winked at Regina, who couldn’t help but preen a little bit.

 

“Why hide from the boy and just leave him treasure? Wasn’t it important to the story to allow him to interact with a loving mother figure in the giantess?” Regina was determined to go with that interpretation of the original story, and not the racier one. Not  _ everything _ had to be sexualized, for Christ’s sake. And now she wanted to get as much of the story as possible if they were going to have any shot at talking the giants down. “Is there even a woman up there?”

 

“We convinced my wife to stay out of the way with us,” Lapine offered.

 

“We wanted to make it as easy and tempting as possible for him to come back later to keep the story on track. But really, you did us a favor there.” Sondheim gave her a smug smile.

 

“How? I warned him not to go!”

 

“Exactly. What teenager is going to listen when an adult tells them what to do?” Lapine smiled wickedly.

 

Regina rolled her eyes. “Fine. But tell me this: Which one of you was prepared to die at Jack’s hand so that the plot could continue? In the story as I know it, the giant who comes down and starts killing off characters does so out of vengeance for the other one’s loss.”

 

Sondheim laughed. “Oh, we had a stunt giant for that. There’s a runt up there that deserves to be put out of his misery, honestly.”

 

“Wait, you were going to kill Tiny?!” Emma shouted.

 

“That’s storytelling. You can’t make a point with sunshine and rainbows.” Sondheim shrugged his shoulders as if this were obvious.

 

“Okay, well let’s talk about this point of yours.” Emma’s face was pure determination and fire, reaching straight to the part of Regina’s heart that missed the woman as she was in the first years of their relationship. “Yeah, everybody wishes for stupid things at some point. That’s not worth killing a bunch of people over.”

 

Sondheim crossed his arms in frustration. “Who’s to say the wishes aren’t what’s causing the harm, even to yourself? What if you get what you want, and it’s not what you thought? Or what if it is?”

 

“That’s her line,” Regina nodded toward Emma, “and getting what you want isn’t always so destructive.”

 

“Oh? So they lied, he stole” — he indicated to the bakers and Henry — “all out of greed, and that’s acceptable behavior?” He narrowed his eyes at Regina. “ _ You _ were supposed to be our voice of reason.  _ You  _ were supposed to be the only truthful one here, willing to point out the hypocrisy. And  _ you _ somehow became _ good  _ and  _ nice _ .”

 

“I told you, we were transported here from another realm two days ago,” Regina sighed in exasperation. “I’m not the witch you wrote. She’s not Cinderella. We don’t know how we came to be in their bodies any more than you do. Maybe it’s to show you there’s another way.”

 

“Yes, that’s when the story got a mind of its own,” Lapine said. “Who ever heard of a woman turning into a wolf?”

 

“Really? You grow magic beans and resurrect cows, but that one you have a hard time with?” Regina raised a brow.

 

“I think he wishes he’d thought of it,” Sondheim said with a sneer. “But he’s right, the plot was going haywire. People can’t just change their stories like that.”

 

“We did!” Emma grabbed Regina’s hand without seeming to realize it and held them in the air. “You have no idea what kind of shit heaps our lives were in the beginning. My parents put me in a fucking tree—”

 

“A tree?” came a squeak from Snow.

 

“Not now!” Regina shushed.

 

“And her mom was apparently a raging bitch everywhere—”

 

“That’s the other thing we’re trying to point out! Parents are the worst kind of people!” roared Sondheim. “Your parents,  _ my _ parents…”

 

_ That’s telling _ , thought Regina.    
  


“The baker’s father left at the first sign of difficulty. He could easily do the same if allowed a child. The boy’s mother only cares about riches, the witch’s mother about beans, the witch about keeping her daughter to herself. They’re all self-serving assholes who don’t deserve to live.”

 

“So they made some mistakes! Cut them some slack, Jesus.” Emma puffed out a sigh and dropped Regina’s hand to rub the back of her own neck in frustration. Regina knew it wasn’t personal, but her spirits dropped just a bit. She felt her strongest when she and Emma were connected. “Anyway, our parents did shitty things, and look, we definitely haven’t always been perfect moms either. But we’ve worked it out. We didn’t let anything tell us how our story was supposed to go.”

 

“And let me guess, it was all pain-free?” Lapine said with a sneer.

 

“Of course not. But you know what? I wouldn’t change it, because that made it so much more worth it when we finally got our shit together, and even though it was harder than hell for a long time, I think it happened the way it was supposed to all along. Our kid wouldn’t be the amazing person he is if it hadn’t been for a lot of our stupid mistakes.” Regina noticed Emma’s chest heaving, her breaths coming deep and strong. That unmatched passion was one of many things that Regina just couldn’t imagine not being in her life. 

 

“That goes for the wishing, too,” Emma continued, then pointed at Regina. “She’s an expert at wishing for the wrong things. A whole town of people suffered for it. There were many questionable decisions. Trust me, if you’re looking for an example of a selfish person, she was it.” Regina trusted where Emma was going, so her raised eyebrow was primarily one of amusement. “But I could only dream of being the kind of selfless person she is now. I’ll be honest, there are days when I still wonder deep down if all those people could stick it out on their own so I didn’t have to protect them from every horrible thing that comes along, because it’s  _ hard _ . It really wears you down. But she does it. She’s had to  _ earn _ those people’s respect in a way I never had to, and she’s got it. What she does now she does to  _ help _ people. She wished herself here to save me, not having any idea what that would mean for her, and I don’t know anyone else who would do that.”

 

Regina’s throat felt like it would squeeze shut altogether from the lump that had built there. She wanted desperately to reach out and take Emma’s hand again, but she didn’t. Instead, she held her breath and stared at the giants, waiting.

 

Sondheim and Lapine stood blinking at Emma for a long time. Sondheim let out a low rumble from deep in his throat as he seemed to contemplate.

 

“If I may suggest something,” Regina said carefully, “you could see what it’s like to let these people work out their own stories for a while. Believe me, I understand your doubts. I’ve witnessed moments of incredible incompetence.” She saw Emma shake her head softly out of the corner of her eye, but she stayed focused on the enormous men before her. “If they let you down, you could always revisit your plan.” That earned her six pairs of raised eyebrows. She continued, undeterred. “The one thing I never thought I could have was love, and when I got it,” she said, and she couldn’t stop herself from glancing at Emma, whose green eyes were shining brightly on her, “I realized I could change my own story. It didn’t have to be what was written for me. You may think you’ve already determined the only course for these people, but they may surprise you. Is your spite really worth more than seeing what love is capable of?”

 

Sondheim abruptly turned and wandered back toward the trees, with Lapine trailing behind. They stood talking quietly to each other, which just sounded like more thunder to Regina. At one point Sondheim stomped his foot, nearly sending Emma toppling over the side of the boulder. Regina caught her just in time, holding her in an embrace for possibly just longer than necessary before stepping away.

 

And Regina knew that she would fight any number giants, with nothing but her wits and her teeth if she had to, just to have this woman in her arms again.

 

But hopefully it wouldn’t come to that.

 

After what seemed like an eternity, the giants made their way back over, and Regina flexed her fingers, ready to take on anything.

 

__________________

  
  


Adrenaline rushed through Emma’s veins as she clenched and unclenched her fists. This could turn ugly fast, but she’d be ready.

 

It would be nice to have a sword right about now.

 

The giant authors stopped before them and stared long and hard. Finally, the bearded one spoke. “You’re lucky he’s got a softer heart than I do.” He looked at Lapine, mildly irritated. “He’s managed to not be an entirely terrible husband and father. I, on the other hand, prefer to feel in the form of tragedy.”

 

“So you’re letting everybody live?” Emma cut to the chase.

 

“We’re letting everyone have a chance to prove you wrong. But yes, no one will die today.” He rolled his eyes and looked totally put out. “I’m considering it an experiment. But I know fucking Schwartz will never let me live it down. He’s always trying to get me to write more cheerful endings. I still say his witch should have died like in the book.”

 

Lapine rolled his eyes. “Okay, come on. I feel like a sandwich.” He started to go, then as an afterthought reached back to place Emma and Regina on the ground before turning away again. “I’m sure we can find some other lovers for you to torture.”

 

Sondheim did perk up slightly at that. “I  _ have _ been toying with this one idea. How do you feel about Italian cinema?” Emma looked at Regina questioningly, but she just laughed and shook her head. They watched as the pair ambled off toward the woods until the trembling in the ground faded away.

 

Regina turned to Snow, David, and Henry and said sternly, “Do  _ not _ make me regret saving your asses.” David’s eyebrows shot up comically.

 

“Why don’t you guys head home?” Emma cut in. “It’s been a long day couple of days. Maybe just think about your reasons for wanting something before you actually wish for it from now on, okay? And, um, try to be more understanding as parents and kids. You’re powerful enough to write your own stories as long as you’re patient and willing to keep your hearts and minds open.”

 

David and Henry started to wander off, but Snow lingered, looking fondly at Emma. “It was really nice to meet you,” she said before turning to catch up with David. It tore at Emma’s heart just a little, and it must have shown on her face because Regina came to face her with soft eyes.

 

“We’ll figure it out,” she said, giving Emma’s upper arm a squeeze.

 

Emma chuckled lowly. “Hey, there you go getting all touchy-feely.”

 

Regina tilted her head back with a small laugh, but she didn’t remove her hand. She returned her gaze to Emma, and they just stood there, soaking in the moment.

 

“Oh, I almost forgot,” Regina suddenly said, reaching into the witch’s tattered bag she’d been carrying. “I… I have this for you.” She delicately pulled out Emma’s other golden slipper and handed it to her.

 

“What…?” Emma looked at it in surprise. “How do you have this?”

 

Regina looked at the ground sheepishly. Emma had never seen her look so shy. “Well,” Regina said before clearing her throat. “I finally found the palace, but when I saw the shoe stuck to the stairs I knew I was too late. At least, too late to meet you there. But not to prevent him from… claiming you.” Her eyes flickered briefly to Emma’s before retreating downward again.

 

“Claiming me?” Emma said slowly. “You mean, like if he liked it then he should have put a shoe on it?” Her attempt at making Regina smile was a success, no matter how much Regina appeared to be fighting it. Emma had never seen such an exaggerated eye roll in her life.

 

“I admit it was a foolish notion,” Regina said, holding her chin high in her own defense, “but I took it so that you might have some agency, in the event that you didn’t want…”

 

“I don’t! Didn’t. Uh, I didn’t,” Emma was now the one fidgeting as she felt her cheeks burning beneath Regina’s intent gaze. She turned the shoe over in her hands and chuckled nervously. “And it’s not foolish, I actually worried about it, too. Although I guess that turned out not to be necessary.” She expected the slightly cringy smile that got out of Regina. “But now I kinda can’t use it since you fed its partner to a cow, so…” She placed it reverently next to her pouch on a nearby stump and returned to face Regina. Their eyes locked, and Emma felt like home wasn’t a realm away. “Thank you,” she said softly. “For protecting me like that. And for coming after me. That’s such a you thing to do, just storming into other realms without knowing where you’re going.”

 

“Excuse me, that is such a  _ you _ thing to do,” Regina said defiantly.

 

“I usually get sucked in, thank you very much,” Emma said smugly.

 

“Except for one time,” Regina said, her eyes suddenly impossibly soft.

 

“Except for one time,” Emma echoed. “And you found a way to me then, too.”

 

“Don’t go on about finding each other,” Regina said cheekily. “That’s your parents’ line.”

 

“Then what would you say is our line?” Emma said, her fingers curling and uncurling to keep her from reaching out to take Regina’s hands. She didn’t want to spook her. As it was, Regina’s eyes widened slightly, and she swallowed and stepped away, taking a deep breath.

 

“We don’t need some silly words to define our relationship,” Regina said dismissively after a moment. “Besides, you hardly need more than one catchphrase, and I’m sure the pirate must have some tawdry saying he likes to dish out about his  _ lady love _ .”

 

Emma didn’t take the bait. She’d dealt with Regina on the defensive enough to know she was just trying to protect herself from getting hurt. Emma just had to find a way to break through that armor. “Yeah, he’s not as good with words as he thinks he is,” she said. Then, more gently, she added, “And it wouldn’t matter if he was, because you don’t need a catchphrase when your relationship is over.” She stepped around to face Regina again, trying to catch her eye.

 

“Oh?” Regina’s voice was just a smidge higher than usual, no matter how aloof she was clearly trying to appear.

 

“Yeah,” Emma said sincerely. And then she got it, a glance from Regina. She smiled at her, small but encouraging. “However frustrating this place is, it’s given me time to think about stuff. I’ve learned some… things. Or maybe I already knew them deep down but kind of got sidetracked.”

 

“Such as?”

 

“Such as I don’t want to be anyone’s property. Such as I want someone to appreciate me for who I am, not be threatened by it. Such as I don’t wear heels for a reason.” Regina’s lips quirked up, and Emma moved in so they were almost toe-to-toe. “Such as there’s only one person I’ve ever felt like a true partner with. One person I knew I could trust to do whatever it took to find me. One person I literally ached at the thought of never seeing again.” They were so close now Emma wouldn’t be surprised if Regina could hear her heart pounding away in her chest. “Well, only one person I’d very much like to kiss, anyway.”

 

Regina’s eyes were a mixture of disbelief, vulnerability, and desire. Emma stared into them with what she hoped looked like love and not a humiliating display of desperation, and after what felt like a million heartbeats of waiting, Regina leaned in, nearly closing the remaining inches between them. Emma could feel Regina’s breath warm on her lips as their noses brushed lightly. The tingle of anticipation had traveled all the way to her toes when Regina said so softly, “That person would follow you anywhere.” A small sigh escaped Emma’s mouth as she tilted forward to capture Regina’s lips with her own, and then there was only light.

 

______________________

 

The butterflies in Regina’s stomach had reached a fever pitch as Emma moved into her personal space. Still, despite her nerves, her body responded automatically to Emma’s advances, to her voice, to words she’d longed to hear. She didn’t notice she’d moved forward until she could almost feel Emma’s eyelashes fluttering against her cheeks. The moment was slow and delicious until their lips had just barely made contact, and then a shockwave radiated through Regina’s body, breaking her from the kiss. Thankfully, Emma caught her firmly around the waist.

 

Regina had experienced something similar once before, only this time, the feeling of plummeting down a roller coaster left in its wake a distinctly romantic heat that spread from her heart to her stomach and perhaps a little farther south. Very different from her kiss with Henry when Zelena first came to town. Was the magic really able to discern the type of true love? It never ceased to amaze her.

 

“Whoa,” Emma whispered.

 

“Yeah,” Regina breathed, looking into her eyes in awe.

 

“I didn’t realize that could kind of... linger… in places,” Emma said, and Regina’s lips turned up at the adorable blush that colored her cheeks.

 

“Indeed,” she said softly as the pleasant buzz throughout her body began to fade. “Although I suppose I’m glad I didn’t have to hear about it from your mother.” Emma’s nose wrinkled, but there was a hint of amusement in her eyes.

 

As they stood there taking each other in, what initially felt like a daze of wonderment transitioned into a sort of breathless shyness on both sides. Regina felt Emma’s fingers fidgeting at her waist, while she began to smooth a nonexistent wrinkle in the sleeve of Emma’s dress.

 

Because here they were, never having so much as hugged until two hours ago, suddenly bonafide true loves according to the most powerful magic of all. Gazing into Emma’s radiant eyes — Regina didn’t think she’d seen her so at peace, so full of light in the time she’d known her — she was certain she could get used to having this woman’s arms around her. But the realization that it was still incredibly new and foreign crashed into her like an unexpected wave, and the whole thing left her a bit flustered. Memories of being a teenager swept up in a crush pricked at the back of her mind.

 

Emma chuckled nervously. “So, uh, I’ve wanted to do that so many times. But actually getting to, like, touch you and kiss you is a little… unbelievable? And good, obviously, but holy shit, it’s  _ you _ , and god, why am I talking so much?” She stepped back just a hair, pulling her hands in to fidget as she took a long breath. When a slow, easy smile spread across Emma’s face, Regina could tell it helped her relax, even as butterflies continued to wage a war in Regina’s own stomach. “And I mean, I know I’m smooth and all” Emma continued, and Regina couldn’t help the small laugh that escaped her lips at that, “but I never thought if it happened it would literally rock your world. So just… maybe don’t set your expectations too high for the next time.”

 

“Next time, huh?” Regina’s quirked a teasing eyebrow at her.

 

Emma’s face was indignant. “Don’t pretend you don’t think there will be a next time. Based on what just happened, I know you like me. You can’t deny it.”

 

Regina felt the welcome release of a laugh erupt from deep in her belly. “Oh Emma,” she sighed happily even as Emma stared at her, vaguely traumatized. “I do like you. I like you very much.”

 

“Okay, good.” And if Emma thought she was good at playing it cool, her ridiculous grin was a spectacular failure. “I just, um, I don’t want you to think I’m bad at this.”

 

Regina’s nerves melted and were replaced by the most tender affection she’d ever felt for someone other than Henry. “You are so far from bad at this,” she said. “The things you said before, and just now, they were...  _ you _ were perfect. It meant more to me than you could ever know. As for this,” she said, stepping forward and placing tentative arms around Emma’s neck, brushing a thumb across soft skin, “I think we’ll adjust with practice.” Emma’s eyes twinkled before dipping to look at Regina’s lips.

 

“I’m very into practicing,” she said, leaning in to kiss Regina again, when Regina suddenly pulled away, eyes wide.

 

“Oh my god.”

 

“What? Too fast?” Emma stepped back, her face the picture of concern. “Fuck, I’m sorry, I—”

 

“No, no,” Regina shook her head, pointing past Emma to her pouch on the stump. Emma turned to look and gasped.

 

“Holy shit, it’s glowing,” she said, eyes wide as she looked back at Regina.

 

“It’s glowing,” Regina repeated. As they had so often before, they moved as one to the stump. Emma grabbed the pouch and emptied its contents into her hand: a folded up note that Emma quickly set aside, and a beautiful, shining, translucent bean.

 

For a moment, they both stood hovering over it, almost as if they were afraid if they took their eyes away it would fade back to its original state.

 

“Did we do it?” Emma asked quietly, raising hopeful green eyes to Regina.

 

Regina couldn’t bear it if she’d just gotten Emma’s hopes up for nothing. Still, she didn’t know what else this could be. “It looks that way,” she said slowly, brow furrowing. “But there’s only one way to know for sure.” 

 

Emma’s forehead creased as she continued to look at Regina, who felt guilty for her less-than-thrilled reaction. “Regina?” Emma reached out to rest her free hand on Regina’s upper arm. The warmth of her touch made Regina’s heart faintly ache, even as a whisper of a smile crossed her lips. She reached up and took Emma’s hand in hers, squeezing softly.

 

“I’m sorry.” She shook her head. “It’s wonderful. Really,” she added at Emma’s raised brow. “Of course, it’s why I came here. It’s past time to get you home to Henry, and your parents, and…”

 

“And to break up with Hook, yep,” Emma finished for her. Regina’s foolish heart leapt at Emma’s words, even as fear was tangling into a nasty knot in her stomach.

 

“And to my evil half, and the Black Fairy, and the final battle.” Tears started to form in Regina’s eyes as she looked down guiltily. “I just got you.” She glanced up again, tucking a strand of hair behind Emma’s ear and gently cupping her face. “I can’t…” came out as a whisper before a lump in her throat prevented her from saying any more.

 

Emma put the bean carefully back on the stump and took Regina’s hands in her own. She leaned in and pressed their foreheads together gently as Regina let out a tiny sob. “Listen,” she said softly, “I’m going to fight like hell for this.” She pulled back, and Regina's breath caught at the love that shone so plainly from bright green eyes.

 

“I’m not taking any of it lightly, I just feel more ready now than I ever have. My heart... it’s like it’s been beating for you for so long, but I was always holding it back. And now that it’s finally free, it just feels stronger.” She reached out and wiped a stray tear from Regina’s cheek. 

 

What Emma was saying meant everything. 

 

Regina still couldn’t help but be terrified.

 

“We’ll get to the bottom of this final battle thing,” Emma promised. “We’re a family of fucking heroes! We can outsmart anything… or at least some of us can. Some are more stubborn and scrappy,  _ but _ ,” her eyes brightened at Regina’s watery chuckle, “I know we can do this. And as for the Evil Queen… all we can do is try to help her rewrite her story. We did it for these people, maybe we can do it again. Hopefully we can even find a way to be a part of it.” Emma smiled, and Regina felt her own lips turn up, her heart fluttering wildly at something she didn’t even know she needed to hear. Honestly, how did this beautiful gift of a person know her so well? No one had ever willingly invited the Evil Queen into their life, yet here was Emma, opening her arms to every part of her. Regina’s heart was starting to feel stronger now, too.

 

“Okay.” Regina sniffed, wiping away lingering tears and nodding. “Let’s do it.” 

 

Emma’s sweet smile widened and she waggled a brow. “All in good time,” she said, her eyes twinkling with mischief.

 

Regina shook her head, smacking her on the arm. “So smooth,” she said before pulling her into a deep, languid kiss. Emma responded eagerly, humming softly, wrapping one arm around Regina’s waist while the other hand wound through her hair.

 

When they parted, Emma smiled nervously, then turned and grabbed the little note that had fallen out of her pouch. “I want you to have this.” She placed it in Regina’s hand, gently folding her fingers up over it. “It’s no big deal, just some things I needed to say, I guess.” She bit her lip in a way that led Regina to believe it might just be a very big deal.

 

“I just…” Emma exhaled slowly, and a cool confidence rose into her eyes. “I don’t want you to step through even one more portal without knowing I love you.”

 

Regina wasn’t positive her own feet were still on the ground when “I love you, too” rushed out of her mouth on a breath. After a pause, she added, “You know, Sondheim did write something rather poignant into this musical, whatever his intent may have been. The opening song has a lovely lyric: ‘Into the woods to get the thing that makes it worth the journeying.’ Maybe that’s why we were sent here.”

 

Emma beamed at her. “I guess you can trust authors to get things right some of the time.” They shared a long, contented look, and a feeling of calm certainty filled Regina as Emma wove their fingers together. With her free hand, Emma tossed the bean, and a brilliant portal opened at the edge of the trees.

 

She squeezed Regina’s hand. “Let’s go home.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading my wacky little story! I highly recommend you check out the real deal! The filmed version of the Original Broadway Cast (featuring national treasure Bernadette Peters) is available for streaming in some places and on good old-fashioned DVD.
> 
> Also...
> 
> Writers and artists spent months creating the fics and art you enjoy - it would mean the world to them if you commented to tell them what you liked! The SQSupernova team is also sponsoring a contest for commenters, and you can find out more [here](http://sqsupernova.tumblr.com/post/177527168129/the-swan-queen-supernova-comments-contest-returns).

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [I Wish [Fanart]](https://archiveofourown.org/works/15684357) by [powerfulmagics](https://archiveofourown.org/users/powerfulmagics/pseuds/powerfulmagics)




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